I'm Sorry
by kitsuneshadow47
Summary: The last thing Sasuke hears is a blaring horn and his dobe's scream. Then, everything went black. Later on Sasuke wakes up again, but things aren't the same anymore. He's a guardian angel without wings, assigned by heaven to protect a certain someone...
1. Chapter 1: Darkness

**I'm Sorry**

_**Chapter 1: Darkness**_

**Summary: **The last thing Sasuke hears is a blaring horn and his dobe's scream. Then, everything went black. Later on Sasuke wakes up again, but he is no longer living in the world he once knew. He's a guardian angel without wings, assigned by heaven to protect a certain someone-he must keep watch of this person for a certain amount of time, but cannot say or do anything to change that one's life. If he is able to complete this task, he will finally gain his wings and finally be able to move on. But when he finally arrives to his assigned destination (the city that never sleeps), he is surprised to find out that the person he must watch over is none other than Naruto Uzumaki. At first, he is thrilled to finally see his dobe again, but there's a catch. Naruto cannot see or hear Sasuke and he is not the happy-go-lucky blonde that the raven knew before... What will Sasuke do now?

_FAQ's usually sent to the President of the United States. Pshh—uh-huh, yeah. Right. More like the Queen of Spacing Out…and MOCHI! ^_^_

_**Mine? **_Of course not. Don't own Naruto. *Raises hands up innocently* This is only a story written by some poor, obsessed yaoi fangirl who literally enjoys spacing out and drifting away to the farthest, darkest corner of the universe (because it has cookies XD).

_**Warnings? **_YAOI, OOC, fluffiness, and tear-shedding, heartrending moments… TwT (I'm such a sap. XD)

_**Who? **_Pshh—Beavis and Butthead. O_O …of course not. XD Sasuke and Naruto, duh! =^w^=

_**Why? **_Because I want to, so there! XD And this plot bunny's been bugging me for a while now… ^^"

**Notes from the KIT-chan~**

This fic's based on this epic but uber-sad poem a friend of mine wrote last year in good old eighth grade… XD But yeah. That's about all I can say right now. Let meh know if you like it, 'kay? ^_^ Enjoy~! ^~^

.::.*~Kitsune~*.::.

~o~

It was 2:00 a.m. in the morning, and the roads were empty. Because it was a Sunday morning, every street was free of rush hour and chaos from usual weekdays. There were literally no cars in sight—except for a lone, black Audi speeding along the nearest highway.

There was a loud yawn from the blonde sitting in the passenger seat, who didn't look to be more than seventeen in age. "Ah…hah…" he sighed, smacking his lips and rubbing his eyes. "Man, that party was beast."

At that moment, the older raven driving behind the wheel rolled his eyes at his best friend as he accelerated to a hundred and five miles per hour.

The whiskered blonde gasped and fell back on his seat after feeling the car speed up by twenty miles an hour. Then, he turned to glare at the raven and sputtered.

"_Teme…_" the seventeen-year-old growled.

The older man shifted his eyes towards the latter and smirked. "Sorry, dobe—wanted to make sure you were still awake. I can't have you fall asleep just _yet._"

The blonde stiffened at the comment. "Eh! Again! But wasn't the party already enough…?"

The raven raised an eyebrow. "Why? You don't want me anymore?"

The younger man froze and blushed. "Er…no! What the hell makes you say that!"

The nineteen-year-old shifted his eyes back towards the road and sighed. "Well…it looked like you werehaving a blast with Kiba over by the punch bowl. And when I interrupted you and came over saying we had to leave…"

In an instant, the blonde shrank back. "Hey! He was just playing around with me that time! That's all!"

The raven raised an eyebrow. "Is that so? Then how come I saw him reaching his hand down by your…"

"I got frickin' punch on my pants, all right? And it looked like I, uh…_went." _The younger man scratched his head and chuckled nervously. Then, he stopped and looked at the older man, who now seemed amused.

The blue-eyed teenager sputtered and raised his hands up in protest. "Oh, for God's sake, Sasuke, he was putting _Tide-to-Go _on my pants!"

At that moment, the Uchiha couldn't help but snicker at the comment. Kiba Inuzuka. The dog guy. Carrying cleaning products in his pockets. Right.

"Seriously!"

"Hn. Yeah," the raven replied sarcastically.

The blonde softened his gaze. "Teme…" He shifted over a little on his seat, reaching for the pale hand on the wheel.

Suddenly, the car gave a violent jerk after the raven had inadvertently hit the biggest pothole known to man. Now this could have literally sent Naruto flying out of the window on the other side of the car, but luckily, Sasuke was there to block him. Or did he?

The blonde opened his eyes and was shocked when he found his lips pressed against the Uchiha's—and the latter himself was just about as off-guard as he was, staring at his friend with wide eyes. Then, both pulled back, Naruto's face as red as a beet.

The latter coughed and chuckled nervously, scratching his head. "Uh…"

"Hn," the raven uttered. "That wasn't unexpected."

Naruto punched the older man on the shoulder and pouted. "Hey!"

Sasuke chuckled.

Suddenly, it was silent.

The Uchiha's face became curious and he glanced next to him to see if the blonde was finally out cold.

But to his surprise, he was still wide awake, but quietly staring out the window with a solemn countenance.

The raven stared at the blonde for a moment, then softened his gaze. "…Naruto."

"Hm?"

"…what's wrong?"

Naruto hesitated. "It's nothing. Don't worry about it."

Sasuke paused, then put his hand on the latter's shoulder. "There's no point in lying, dobe—I've seen you long enough to know just how bad you are at it."

The blonde exhaled sharply and frowned. "I'm not lying."

The raven sighed, then held the latter's chin and looked into his cerulean eyes. "_Dobe._"

Finally, Naruto gave in. "All right, all right…you got me." He paused, his eyes becoming dull.

The Uchiha waited patiently.

The blonde hesitated, then exhaled sharply. "If I tell you…do you promise that you won't get mad?"

Sasuke shrank back, raising an eyebrow. "Why would I get mad?"

The latter paused, then hung his head. "Forget it."

Silence.

"Dobe."

The blonde stirred, slightly raising his head. "I…" he began in a soft voice.

The raven waited for what was about to come out of Naruto's mouth.

There was a long pause. Then the latter finally spoke. "I'm moving away."

Sasuke's eyes widened. "_What?_"

The blonde shrugged and looked right into the Uchiha's eyes. "I'm moving away from here."

At that moment, the raven stiffened and turned away from his friend. He couldn't believe what he'd just heard.

"See," the younger man began, his eyes becoming sad. "I knew you'd get mad…"

It was silent again.

After a few minutes, the Uchiha spoke again, in a low voice. "Where?" he managed to ask.

Naruto hesitated. "…California."

_Shit, _Sasuke thought to himself looking aimlessly into the darkness outside the window. _All the way on the other side…_

"Why?" the raven followed up immediately.

The blonde winced at the hurt he'd just heard in the older man's tone. "…because my dad found a better job there."

Silence.

Finally, the Uchiha spoke again, this time with even more hurt in his voice. "…when?"

At that moment, the younger man flinched.

"_When_, dobe?" Sasuke managed to ask again.

Naruto gulped and glanced at the digital clock on the dashboard. Then he spoke in a weak tone. "Right when we come back. Today."

The raven froze. "…_today?"_

The blonde shrank back, knowing that at that moment he had hit a cord.

Suddenly, the Uchiha sighed and slowly turned back to face the younger man, his eyes filled with pain and sadness. "Dobe…" he began in a soft voice.

Naruto hesitated, then looked into the latter's coal-black eyes. At that moment, he could feel tears beginning to form under his eyes.

At that moment, Sasuke slowly advanced forward and held the blonde gently by the chin, his gaze softening. "Why…why didn't you tell me sooner? When were you really planning to tell me this?"

The blonde paused, then looked away. "…now."

The raven exhaled sharply, then looked straight ahead at the road, his gaze intent.

After a while, the blue-eyed teenager looked back at the older man, whose face was still rigid.

"Teme…" he spoke softly.

No response—just the revving of the car's engine.

Naruto swallowed, then spoke again. "Teme."

Still no reply.

"Please. Say something."

Silence.

"…_teme…_"

At that moment, the Uchiha's gaze became even more intent, and the car accelerated again.

The blonde's eyes grew sad, and he looked down at his feet. "You're mad at me…aren't you?"

Suddenly, Sasuke froze.

"You're mad…because you're the only one who hasn't heard this yet."

The raven exhaled sharply and closed his eyes.

Naruto looked up at the latter.

"…I'm not mad at you, dobe," he spoke unwaveringly. The Uchiha opened his eyes and turned to face the blonde.

The younger man's face became solemn.

"When have I ever been mad at you?" He glanced back at the road. "I mean…I would have understood."

"Teme…"

Sasuke slightly tightened his grip on the wheel. "I would have been fine if you had just told me from the very beginning. I've known you for how long now? It wouldn't hurt that much then. But _now, _Naruto…" He closed his eyes.

The blonde's eyes became filled with concern. "Teme…"

The raven sighed and slowly shook his head.

Tears began to well up below the latter's eyes. "_Teme…_"

No response.

Suddenly, Naruto grabbed the Uchiha's shoulder. "Teme…_I'm_ _sorry…"_

Sasuke slowly opened his eyes and lifted his head to face the blonde. At that moment, he felt hurt inside seeing the younger man like that—so sad that the latter was about to cry.

His gaze softened. Then he reached for Naruto's cheek. "Dobe…"

Suddenly, the blonde's eyes bulged and at the same time, the raven heard a loud, blaring sound.

In an instant, the Uchiha looked out the window and was blinded by two bright lights.

"_SASUKE!" _Naruto screamed.

And then everything went black.

~o~

**Notes from the KIT-chan~**

Sorry to say that it might take a while for this to be updated…I've already started three multi-chapter fics now and school's not over for me just yet… ^^" But I promise you that I will try very hard to put the next chapter up as soon as I can. ~wO

I'm still not as proud of this chapter, but the next ones will definitely be better. XD

Hope you liked it and if you did, please REVIEW if you want the next chapter! ^w^

Ja ne~! ^~^

.::.*~Kitsune~*.::.


	2. Chapter 2: Light

**I'm Sorry**

_**Chapter 2: Light**_

**Summary: **The last thing Sasuke hears is a blaring horn and his dobe's scream. Then, everything went black. Later on Sasuke wakes up again, but he is no longer living in the world he once knew. He's a guardian angel without wings, assigned by heaven to protect a certain someone-he must keep watch of this person for a certain amount of time, but cannot say or do anything to change that one's life. If he is able to complete this task, he will finally gain his wings and finally be able to move on. But when he finally arrives to his assigned destination (the city that never sleeps), he is surprised to find out that the person he must watch over is none other than Naruto Uzumaki. At first, he is thrilled to finally see his dobe again, but there's a catch. Naruto cannot see or hear Sasuke and he is not the happy-go-lucky blonde that the raven knew before... What will Sasuke do now?

_FAQ's usually sent to the President of the United States. Pshh—uh-huh, yeah. Right. More like the Queen of Spacing Out…and MOCHI! ^_^_

_**Mine? **_Of course not. Don't own Naruto. *Raises hands up innocently* This is only a story written by some poor, obsessed yaoi fangirl who literally enjoys spacing out and drifting away to the farthest, darkest corner of the universe (because it has cookies XD).

_**Warnings? **_YAOI, OOC, fluffiness, and tear-shedding, heartrending moments… TwT (I'm such a sap. XD)

_**Who? **_Pshh—Beavis and Butthead. O_O …of course not. XD Sasuke and Naruto, duh! =^w^=

_**Why? **_Because I want to, so there! XD And this plot bunny's been bugging me for a while now… ^^"

**Notes from the KIT-chan~**

Chapter 2—when the whole world turns topsy-turvy. ^^" …oh, just read. XD You'll see what I mean… ^_^"; But I warn you again…it does get sad at some point. T_T

Enjoy~! ^~^

.::.*~Kitsune~*.::.

~o~

Sirens could be heard.

"Hurry up and save the passengers," a male voice ordered.

There were a bunch of creaking noises and sounds of glass breaking.

"Sir, two males. One raven, about nineteen or twenty, and one blonde, around seventeen. Both are badly injured, sir, but the blonde doesn't look too bad. Minor head injury and a few broken ribs, but he'll be okay."

"What about the raven?"

There was a pause. "I don't know, sir. I don't think he's gonna make it. He looks like he's in pretty bad shape here—look at how much blood he's lost. I'm not sure if they'll get to him in time—"

"That's why we're here, damn it."

At that moment, more sirens could be heard.

There was a grunt. "Now help me load them in there."

~o~

Groan.

Silence.

…_where am I? _Sasuke Uchiha thought to himself. At that moment, he slowly opened his eyes.

But all he could see was…darkness.

_What the heck happened? _The raven thought. _Where am I? _He walked around, searching for a way out, or to at least figure out where he was standing.

Suddenly, he realized what had just happened before he lost consciousness.

_~xXx~_

_Blare._

"_SASUKE!"_

_~xXx~_

_Shit. _The Uchiha immediately stopped in his tracks, his eyes bulging. Then he sprinted headlong, deeper into the darkness.

_Dobe… _he thought to himself, running as fast as he could, shifting his eyes here and there, beginning to call the blonde's name.

"Naruto!" Sasuke shouted in the pitch-blackness.

But there was no reply. Not even the slightest sound—except for his own echo.

The raven growled and continued to run in search of his friend, calling his name again.

"Naruto!"

Silence.

But the Uchiha still wouldn't give up and kept looking for the blonde—and from the looks of it, he wouldn't stop until he had found him and was holding him in his arms.

Several minutes passed, and there had still been no sign of the blue-eyed boy. That was also when Sasuke had finally become exhausted and fell on his knees. He panted, turning his head in different directions in the hope of seeing a flash of bright yellow somewhere in this deep darkness.

But there was none. Not even the slightest bit.

The raven took a deep breath, then hung his head dejectedly. "Dobe…" he muttered softly.

~o~

BEEP.

"Clear!" A buzz and a thud was heard.

Then another. "Clear!"

And another. "_Clear!_"

Thud.

Beep. Beep. Beep.

There were sighs of relief.

"He's good."

Suddenly, there was a sharp and long beeping sound coming from across the hall.

Footsteps could be heard coming towards the room. Then the door slowly opened.

"…sir?"

A long pause. Then a sigh. "We did all we could do for him."

~o~

The raven sat quietly in the darkness, his feet curled up and his head buried in his arms. He exhaled sharply. _What the heck is going on? Why am I here? Unless…_

At that moment, he sat up and pulled one of his shoes off. Then he threw it straight into the pitch-blackness, expecting to hear a thud.

But to the Uchiha's surprise, there was nothing but dead silence.

Sasuke shrank back. _What…is this place?_

Suddenly, a dot of bright white appeared in the distance.

The raven's eyes widened. _What…_

Soon, he realized that it was slowly growing—growing…and growing. Until finally, it had overcome the darkness, which left the Uchiha standing in bright light.

He winced, shielding his eyes from the blinding light with his hand. _Where…am I?_

At that moment, he thought he could see something approaching in the distance—some form of silhouette, but that was all he could see at that point. The Uchiha slowly put his hand down and squinted, trying to see who or what it was.

Every second that passed, the silhouette came closer and closer—until a white, hooded figure could be made out, walking towards the raven.

Sasuke sank deep in thought, debating on whether he should run away or not. But then he remembered something. Something his dad always taught him when he was little: Uchihas never ran away from anything—and most likely not without a fight.

As the figure grew clearer into view, the raven slowly pulled back, gradually posing in a martial arts position.

But then the hooded silhouette stopped and stood a few feet in front of the Uchiha.

He squinted to get a better view of the figure, but could only see that he…or _she _was merely standing there, not moving a muscle.

At that moment, Sasuke began to wonder.

"Naruto?" he asked the hooded silhouette.

But the latter didn't reply. Instead, he extended his hand towards the raven.

At first, the Uchiha hesitated, then reluctantly took the figure's hand.

After that, he found himself in a different place, still holding the unknown silhouette's hand.

Here they were surrounded by mysterious clouds, almost a mist, and the light was a lot brighter.

The raven shrank back, and he turned to look at the strange hooded figure, cloaked with white. "Who are you?" he finally asked with an impassive tone.

The latter paused for a moment, then lifted his hand to take his hood off.

When the veil slowly fell back, it revealed a face—a beautiful face. A handsome young male, who had emerald green eyes and fair skin and whose long, bronze hair fell smoothly on top of his broad shoulders.

Sasuke's eyes widened.

The young man chuckled lightly. "I am but a messenger of God, dear friend," he spoke in a calming voice.

Suddenly, the raven froze. _No. It can't be… _In an instant, the fateful memory of that night ran through his mind again—the blaring horn, the blinding headlights of the truck, Naruto's piercing scream…and the crash.

The bronze smiled warmly at the latter. "Be not afraid. I have come to welcome you into the eternal light."

At that moment, the Uchiha's face became rigid, and he closed his eyes slowly, finally getting an idea of what was happening and where he really was. He exhaled sharply. "In other words…I'm dead?"

No response.

Sasuke understood and sighed. He paused for a long time, then opened his mouth to speak again. "I see. Then tell me…"

The green-eyed man waited patiently.

He opened his eyes halfway. "Did you, by chance…bring another guy to this same dimension, with blonde hair and blue eyes?"

There was a long pause. "…no. I'm afraid not. I had only seen you wandering around in the darkness, and no one else."

The raven closed his eyes again, pressing his lips into a straight line. So that's how it was.

_Dobe… _the Uchiha thought, feeling pain inside his heart. He sighed. Then after a few minutes, he spoke again. "I understand." He lifted his head up to look at the messenger from above with a stoic expression on his face. "I see that you are taking me to _that _place, now is that right?"

No reply.

Sasuke exhaled sharply, but in mid-breath, the bronze opened his mouth to reply.

"No."

The latter closed his eyes.

"…not just yet."

At that moment, the raven opened his eyes to look at the green-eyed man with an impassive countenance.

The young bronze's face became solemn. "Your life on Earth has come to an end, Sasuke Uchiha. However…"

The Uchiha waited patiently.

The cloaked messenger closed his eyes. "…I wouldn't quite say the same for your mission."

Questions arose in Sasuke's mind. "What do you mean by that?"

The green-eyed man opened his eyes to look at the raven. Then, he extended his hand. "Come with me."

The Uchiha hesitated for a moment, then reluctantly took the bronze's hand.

And after that, they disappeared from the dimension of light.

~o~

At that moment, the raven found himself in what looked like a local park, with families having picnics nearby and children riding their bikes.

"Why are we here?" Sasuke asked the bronze.

The latter paused, then gestured around to various people in the park. "Everyone on this Earth has a life to live, regardless of gender or race." He pointed to two children playing tag by a nearby playground. "But they were all made for a specific reason known only by God—their 'mission', we call it." His eyes softened. "Each and every person living in this world has their own mission to complete, which is usually done at a certain point before they finally have to leave Earth and enter the dimension of eternal light." He looked up at the sky, then turned to face the Uchiha. "Or _heaven, _as some of you might call it."

The raven stared at the green-eyed man for a minute, then looked down with a solemn expression on his face. "What was…_my_ mission?"

The young bronze paused again, then he spoke. "I cannot tell you that, my friend."

Sasuke looked up at the latter with a stolid expression on his face. "Why not?"

"Because—you haven't completed it yet. And to be frank, I don't even know myself. Only God knows what your true mission was."

The Uchiha's face became solemn again, and he hung his head. "Then, tell me…why did you bring me here? And since I didn't finish my mission in this world, what will happen to me?" He paused for a second, then looked at the green-eyed man with a grim expression on his face. "Am I going to hell?"

At that moment, God's messenger laughed. "Of course not. God would never be so cruel as to do something like that."

"Then…what?" The raven gazed at the latter questioningly.

The green-eyed man laughed again, then snapped his fingers.

Soon, Sasuke realized that they were once again in the dimension of light.

Finally, the young bronze stopped laughing.

The raven stared at the latter with a blank expression on his face.

Then, he kindly smiled at the Uchiha. "Because your life ended so early, God has decided to give you another chance—to make up for the mission you never got to finish." At that moment, he snapped his fingers again, taking the two of them to another dimension.

Sasuke opened his eyes, and saw that they were now in a familiar city, where there were many people walking on the streets with umbrellas over their heads, because it was literally pouring. The city that the Uchiha once knew himself—New York City.

Then the green-eyed man spoke again. "In your case, you will be brought back into this world, and once again walk among the humans. You will be able to talk and move around as you please on Earth…but there is just one thing."

The raven waited patiently.

The young bronze gestured to the people busily walking up and down the streets. "No matter what you say or what you do, the people around you will not be able to hear you, touch you, nor will they be able to see your very self. To them, it will be as if you didn't exist."

The Uchiha stared blankly at the people of Manhattan, as they absent-mindedly rushed down the sidewalks, suitcases and pocketbooks in hand.

The green-eyed man continued. "From this day forth, you shall act as a messenger of God as well, an _angel _as you might call it—but with some exceptions." He pointed again towards the city folk. "In this world, God will select a being—one who you will serve to watch over up to the point where your mission is finally complete. Your wings will also be taken away for the time being and will not be returned until that moment has arrived, when you will then be brought back to the dimension of eternal light."

At that moment, Sasuke blinked and looked at the bronze expressionlessly. "And when will I know if my mission is finished?"

"…only God will determine that."

The Uchiha closed his eyes and nodded once. "I understand." He opened his eyes. "Then who am I protecting here?"

There was a long pause. Then he spoke. "The being God will choose is the one who will serve as a means to the end of your mission." The latter took the raven's hand. "One who is desperate, and in need of personal help."

Suddenly, Sasuke found himself standing in a nearby intersection with large crowds of people waiting at every corner.

"One who God has considered to have had the strongest bond with you…" the green-eyed man trailed off. "…and one who you once held close to your heart. The one who you will be watching over is…" He lifted his finger.

The raven paused, then slowly turned to see who the latter was pointing to.

"…him."

At that moment, his eyes widened in surprise. He couldn't believe who he was seeing.

On the other side of the street, sitting on a bench with a jacket over his head and a suitcase on his lap, was a bushy-haired blonde with whiskers on his cheeks and eyes that were even bluer than the Pacific Ocean—wearing a morose expression on his face.

Sasuke stiffened. _No way…_

~o~

**Notes from the KIT-chan~**

Okay, I really should be studying for finals right now… ^^" or at least working on the next chapter of **Change of Heart. **XD But I don't know, this plot bunny just won't stop bugging meh. XDDD

Hope you liked this chapter and PLEASE, _please _REVIEW! ~wO

Ja ne~! ^~^

.::.*~Kitsune~*.::.


	3. Chapter 3: Truth

**I'm Sorry**

_**Chapter 3: Truth**_

**Summary: **The last thing Sasuke hears is a blaring horn and his dobe's scream. Then, everything went black. Later on Sasuke wakes up again, but he is no longer living in the world he once knew. He's a guardian angel without wings, assigned by heaven to protect a certain someone-he must keep watch of this person for a certain amount of time, but cannot say or do anything to change that one's life. If he is able to complete this task, he will finally gain his wings and finally be able to move on. But when he finally arrives to his assigned destination (the city that never sleeps), he is surprised to find out that the person he must watch over is none other than Naruto Uzumaki. At first, he is thrilled to finally see his dobe again, but there's a catch. Naruto cannot see or hear Sasuke and he is not the happy-go-lucky blonde that the raven knew before... What will Sasuke do now?

_FAQ's usually sent to the President of the United States. Pshh—uh-huh, yeah. Right. More like the Queen of Spacing Out…and MOCHI! ^_^_

_**Mine? **_Of course not. Don't own Naruto. *Raises hands up innocently* This is only a story written by some poor, obsessed yaoi fangirl who literally enjoys spacing out and drifting away to the farthest, darkest corner of the universe (because it has cookies XD).

_**Warnings? **_YAOI, OOC, fluffiness, and tear-shedding, heartrending moments… TwT (I'm such a sap. XD)

_**Who? **_Pshh—Beavis and Butthead. O_O …of course not. XD Sasuke and Naruto, duh! =^w^=

_**Why? **_Because I want to, so there! XD And this plot bunny's been bugging me for a while now… ^^"

**Notes from the KIT-chan~**

Phew…back from "Change of Heart." ^_^"

Chapter 3. That's all I can say at the moment. XD

Enjoy~! ^~^

.::.*~Kitsune~*.::.

~o~

On the other side of the street, sitting on a bench with a jacket over his head and a suitcase on his lap, was a bushy-haired blonde with whiskers on his cheeks and eyes that were even bluer than the Pacific Ocean—wearing a morose expression on his face.

Sasuke stiffened. _No way…_

Soon, the intersection had cleared up a little, and the Uchiha took that time to slowly approach the latter.

As he got closer and closer, he could see that it was none other than that same particular blonde. The blonde who had always been at his side until the very end. The idiot who was going to leave him for California _that_ day.

…the one who had been his best friend—no—his _soul mate. _

But he looked different now from how he had been before. He was older, taller, and wearing a business suit, for God's sake. Although in the past, the moron always did rant about how much he'd wanted to wear a business suit…

The raven still couldn't believe his eyes. He dropped down on his knees next to the blonde, his mouth gaping.

The young bronze stared silently at the frozen Uchiha.

Sasuke took a deep breath and gazed intently at the blonde before him, scrutinizing each and every facial feature-the same thin lines on either caramel-tan cheek...those deep pools of sapphire... Then, he found himself reaching for the latter's hands, folded neatly on his brown suitcase.

"Dobe…" the raven muttered softly, placing his hand over Naruto's.

But to the Uchiha's surprise, his hand faded right through the tan one, as if it were a mere cloud.

The bronze spoke in a calm voice. "I told you, he can't hear you and you can't touch him."

Sasuke stiffened and slowly pulled his hand back, his face becoming rigid. Then, he turned to face the messenger of God, who also had a solemn expression on his face. The green-eyed man shook his head slowly with his eyes closed.

At that moment, melancholia filled the raven's vast, obsidian eyes.

Then, he looked back to face the blonde again, but saw that he was no longer sitting on the bench.

He had started walking on the sidewalk again.

"Follow him," the green-eyed man spoke calmly.

Slowly, the raven stood on his feet and rushed over to catch up with Naruto.

When he was finally walking next to the blonde, he looked at him again, his eyes softening.

Then, Sasuke reached his hand out once more, still hoping that this time he would be able to caress the tan hand but at the same time, knew that it would only be fruitless.

The Uchiha's face tightened when his hand faded through the latter's once more.

It was silent for a moment, the three men walking together.

Until finally the raven spoke in a low voice. "Why…does it have to be like this? Why can't I touch him?"

"Because…it is the way of us angels," the young bronze replied softly, a little hurt in his tone. "These days, we can only watch the living." He paused. "And we can't be seen or heard or even _touched_, no matter what we do. This was made so not long ago…"

The Uchiha froze. "Why?"

Another pause. "…so we wouldn't end up leading others down another path. So we wouldn't end up changing the mission God intended for them. So we couldn't…interfere with their lives."

It was silent again. Sasuke slowly lifted his head up to look up at Naruto, pain in his eyes. Then he reached his hand out yet again, which merely faded through the tan one.

Suddenly, the bronze stopped in his tracks. "Sasuke."

The raven slowly turned to face the messenger of God, and saw that his face was now solemn. "I have to leave you here for a moment. I'm being called back to tend to more new arrivals. But I will try to return later in case you need any assistance."

The Uchiha slowly nodded once, then turned to look back at the blonde.

"And Sasuke," the green-eyed man spoke before disappearing into the realm of light.

"Hn," the raven replied.

There was a long pause. "Please, try not to do anything…_hasty._"

At that moment, the Uchiha froze in his tracks and turned to look at the bronze again. But he had already disappeared.

What did he mean by that?

~o~

The two were now walking on another street, the name of which the raven couldn't even remember anymore because he had lost track after the dobe had walked…more than nine blocks now?

But hey—this was Manhattan, after all.

And all that time, the Uchiha couldn't stop looking at the latter—examining every part of his complexion, scrutinizing and memorizing each and every detail, as if it would only be a matter of time before he would have to leave him again.

But then, Sasuke thought again and considered it as the truth. How long _would_ it be before he would have to go away and leave his best friend, his _dobe _behind?

That was when he realized something else about Naruto, breaking his train of thought.

The raven raised an eyebrow.

To him, it seemed as if something about the blonde had…changed. Yes, he was a bit older and taller than before—it's been what, how many years now?

At that moment, the Uchiha stiffened. Just how long had it been?

Suddenly, Naruto stopped next to a nearby intersection and waited as numerous cars sped past him, the usual engines roaring and horns honking.

But Sasuke paid no attention to the loud noises. He could only think about his friend—how different he was now.

The raven paused, then looked up at the blonde. He noticed that the ocean blue eyes he knew before that once sparkled with confidence and glee had now become dull, deep with what looked like sorrow and…indifference. What's more, the usual huge, happy-go-lucky grin the latter always held on his face before had disappeared, replaced with an apathetic frown. And the expression on Naruto's tan, whiskered face—it just…wasn't him. It wasn't the smug, carefree blonde that Sasuke once knew as his best friend. At that moment, the person standing next to him looked someone completely different, staring blankly at the other side of the street with an impassive, morose countenance.

And so, the Uchiha thought. _What could have possibly happened after that night?_ This made him stiffen in an instant, not wanting to even bother to figure out the time he'd lost. It would be too painful.

Suddenly, he heard a loud, ringing sound coming from the blonde's pocket.

The latter stopped at another intersection and stuffed his hand into his pocket.

"Yo," Naruto spoke indifferently, picking up his cell phone.

At that moment, Sasuke heard yelling on the other line. The voice was male.

"_You idiot! Don't you 'yo' me, like we're at a Sunday picnic! Where the hell are you!"_

No response.

"_Oh, screw that! Come to frickin' work already, Uzumaki! Chief's already busting his brains out wondering where the hell you are that it's not even funny! Naruto, what the fu—"_

There was another voice screaming at whoever was talking to the blonde at that moment, then a sharp exhale.

"_Mr. Uzumaki! It is 9:05 a.m! You are three hours late for work!"_

A pause. Then the blue-eyed man spoke in a stoic tone. "Chief, I—"

"_Fuck your damn excuse! And the other crap you've given me this past month!" _the chief spoke. _"I'm so sick of this shit that I don't want to even hear it! Just get your ass over here, for Pete's sake—and when you do, I want you in my office pronto!"_

Click.

The blonde hesitated for a moment, then shrugged, hung up, and slid the phone back into his coat pocket.

More questions filled the raven's mind. Was this really Naruto right now?

~o~

After a few more blocks, the blonde finally stopped in front of a tall building with a large emblem on the front of it, where underneath it read: **Gato Industries.**

At that moment, the Uchiha froze in his tracks and looked around. Then he thought to himself, seeing he had once been familiar with the building. But hadn't it been called _**Namikaze **_**Industries **before? That was when he finally remembered: this had been the business that Naruto's father had once owned before…until he had found a better job in _California. _

The raven rolled his eyes, also remembering that he had once seen Gato himself on the same day when he had to come with his blonde friend to drop something off at his father's office. And Gato had been close foreign trading partners with Naruto's father, for he himself had also owned a large industry in…_Finland, _was it? But—there was one thing the Uchiha had been sure about in their encounter, and that was that the guy was a complete and utter sleaze ball that always looked like he had a crowbar up his ass that needed to be surgically removed. The other thing that Sasuke remembered was how much he'd wanted to rip off the guy's head for constantly being such an asshole to Naruto…

But then a question arose in the raven's mind: _why the hell would Naruto's father sell his company to this bastard?_ He raised an eyebrow and turned to look at the blonde, who was still standing in front of the building with an apathetic expression on his face. _And why is Naruto working for the guy in the first place? _He closed his eyes and shook his head. Just how much time _did _he lose?

Suddenly, Naruto let out a sigh and closed his eyes. "Let's get this over with…" he muttered under his breath. Then he began walking into the building, with Sasuke silently tagging along behind his back.

~o~

To the Uchiha, the building didn't look all too different from how it had been before—not counting the extra fake plants in the lobby. And he saw some of the same people he'd seen back then, but of course there were a lot of new ones (mostly from Finland) since Gato obviously bought the industry from Mr. Namikaze.

But for some reason, the atmosphere felt…different.

Before when Sasuke came along with Naruto to visit his father's office, he'd remember all of his staff members warmly greeting the blonde with smiles on their faces—and Naruto would always say that they'd known him since he was a baby. But now…things were very different, since many of those faces had changed.

As the blonde walked through the halls of the building, the raven noticed a lot of things, mostly people giving him dirty looks…and others whispering behind his back. And the farther the latter walked into the building, the more annoying it got—up the stairs…and even in the _elevator_.

This had been what the Uchiha had heard.

"_Did you see him? Isn't he the guy who…"_

"_Shh—he's coming this way…"_

"_Look at him—he's late again."_

"_What a joke."_

"_No—what a moron he is. And to think he was Minato's son…"_

"_Shh—don't mention his name here. Gato might hear you."_

"_But it's his fault that..."_

"_Shut up—he's looking over in our direction."_

"_Pshh—I don't even think he cares if he hears what we're saying."_

The raven frowned as the blonde passed by a group of men snickering behind his back. He couldn't help but feel disgusted at these new faces, obviously hired by Gato, then turned to look at Naruto, who _still _managed to hold that stoic countenance.

How could he tolerate it?

That was when they had finally reached the top floor, where Mr. Namikaze's (now Gato's) office had been.

And the minute Naruto had stepped out of the elevator, he was immediately pulled over by a brown-haired man with red marks on either cheek.

The raven watched as the brunette yanked the blonde's arm down the hallway. And his eyes widened when he saw his face.

No way—Kiba Inuzuka? In a _business suit? _

But after all, his parents did work under Mr. Namikaze before…

Suddenly, Kiba growled at the blue-eyed man. "Seriously, Naruto—are you fuckin' kidding me?"

No response.

The brunette let out a sigh. "I mean, come on—just because he promoted me to work in his office, doesn't mean I can cover for you every day you're late. I'm not the President, damn it. Gato seriously looked like he was gonna rip my head off over you."

Naruto was still silent. And that was the moment when the Uchiha realized that it had been Kiba who'd called him earlier…and was obviously cut off by that sleaze ball.

The two men turned to walk into another hallway, the Inuzuka beginning to advance towards the door at the very far end.

Then Kiba spoke again, in an annoyed tone. "Why can't you just take the bus for once so you're not late, or at least carpool with someone here instead of taking stupid detours along the way?"

In an instant, the blonde's face became rigid. "You know why I can't do that," he spoke in an icy tone.

At the same time, Sasuke stiffened and turned to look at the latter, whose face was still frozen. And he was surprised, for he'd never even seen the blonde like that before. Something really had changed about him…

At that moment, the brunette stopped for a minute and looked at Naruto with softer eyes.

"Sorry," the Inuzuka spoke quietly. "I know you're still hurt by what happened _that_ day…" He paused and exhaled sharply. "But someday you've gotta move on and get over it, because that's life."

The blonde was silent, his countenance becoming apathetic again.

And Sasuke's eyes softened. What did he mean by…"_that_ day?"

But before the raven could continue his train of thought, Kiba had already continued to drag the latter down the hallway—towards what looked like the door to Gato's office.

When they had finally reached the end of the hallway, the Uchiha also noticed another desk just outside by the door (probably a secretary's desk). A young, raven-haired man with fair skin was sitting behind it, filing papers—and dear God, his hair was so long that Sasuke had almost mistaken him as a woman. But the good thing was that he was friendly, for when Naruto had passed by, he had greeted him with a smile.

Too bad he couldn't fix what was about happen _soon_…

~o~

It was just as the Uchiha suspected—what was left of Mr. Namikaze's office had literally been fucked up.

The furniture was cluttered all over the place, and stacks of paper were filed up everywhere—and good Lord, file cabinets took up more than half of the room. What was worse, the bastard had even thrown out the now dead house plants by the window that had once been cared for by Naruto's father.

And not to mention that the air _reeked _of cigarette smoke. Even Kiba's nose wrinkled a little from the stench.

"Gato, sir," he spoke in an unwavering tone.

Sasuke looked ahead to see a chair spun around, facing the window—and billows of smoke rising from behind it.

"Yeah? What do you want?" a strident voice snapped.

"I have Naruto with me," the brunette replied.

At that moment, the raven saw the blonde frown. Then he turned when he saw the chair spin around, revealing a short, spectacled man with a cane in his hand. He crossed his legs and folded his arms on his cluttered desk.

The Uchiha glared at the man. _Gato._

Gato chuckled impishly and looked at the blonde. "Well, well—look who decided to show up."

The latter was silent.

But the spectacled man went on in an awkwardly calm tone. "Mr. Uzumaki."

No response.

Gato sighed and gestured to his left where a wall clock hung. "Do you know what time it is?"

The blonde was silent.

At that moment, the spectacled man frowned. "_9:55 a.m._" he spoke firmly. "Now almost _four _hours late for work."

Still, there was silence.

Gato exhaled sharply and buried his face in his hands. "Mr. Uzumaki."

No response.

"How long do you intend to keep this up?"

Silence.

Suddenly, the spectacled man slammed the desk, standing up from his seat. "It has been like this for over one _damn_ month now!" he shouted angrily. "How can you possibly think that you can show up to work at just about any time you please, thinking that I'll continue to tolerate it!"

The blonde hung his head.

Gato growled and walked up to Naruto, looking at him in the face. "I have tolerated every single bit of your crap from the moment your father's industry was handed over to me after his death, and you have been lucky enough that I was nice enough to follow your father's wishes to give you a job here. Don't think I'm gonna act all willy-nilly now and let this go on. I'm _your _boss now, last time I checked—not your father. And because I'm your boss—that means I could fire you now if I wanted to and send you out in the streets."

No response.

The spectacled man stood on his toes to look into the blonde's eyes. "Look at me when I'm talking to you, Uzumaki."

Naruto wearily raised his head.

Gato exhaled sharply. "This is the last chance you're gonna get, blondie, and don't you dare test my patience here."

The blonde was silent.

The spectacled man narrowed his eyes. "Tomorrow. In here. 5:00 _sharp._"

Kiba's eyes widened. "But that's too—"

"Shut up, Inuzuka!" Gato growled. "If blondie here wants to keep his job, he's gonna have to make up for every single hour he's missed—and I'm gonna make him get here on time even if it means making him get up so ridiculously early! Because if he doesn't…" He turned to the blonde with a devilish grin. "He can say _sayonara _to his job. _Capisce?_"

No response.

The spectacled man went on. "And I don't care if you can't take the bus or even a _car, _for God's sake! I don't give a damn about your fuckin' sob stories! I—"

"Shut up," the blonde spoke coldly.

Immediately, Gato narrowed his eyes. "What did I hear from you, _Crash Kid?_"

In an instant, Naruto had tackled the man to the ground, his hands clutching his neck and eyes intent with rage.

"I said, shut the hell up!" the blonde roared.

At that moment, he pulled back his fist, preparing to punch the guy in the face. But suddenly, he was held back by two of Gato's security guards, holding him by the shoulders.

Sasuke was stunned to see all this happening before him, not being able to do anything to help his best friend.

Naruto growled as he was restrained by the two guards.

Gato coughed and stood up, straightening his tie. Another guard had run over to help him up. Then he chuckled sinisterly. "Oh…that's _it. _That's the final frickin' straw," he spoke in a low tone.

In an instant, his face flushed red and he whipped up his head to glare at the blonde. "Naruto Uzumaki, you're _fired! _Get out of my sight now—I don't ever want to see you in this joint again!"

Kiba's and Sasuke's eyes widened in shock.

At that moment, the latter hung his head, his eyes filled with sadness.

The Uchiha's eyes softened.

The guards stiffened, then let go of Naruto's shoulders, leaving him to stand there silently.

But Gato wasn't even finished with him, and he continued to rant on. "If your goddamn father were here, I bet he would—"

"That's _enough_." Kiba cut in.

The spectacled man shifted his eyes towards the brunette, who now had a rigid countenance. But he still didn't stop, and began advancing towards the blonde, his face flushed red.

"He would give you some fuckin' discipline!" he roared, raising his hand to slap Naruto in the face.

In an instant, the Uchiha stiffened. _You asshole…_

Suddenly, someone grabbed the man's wrist from behind. He immediately whirled his head around to see a long-haired raven—the same one who'd been sitting at the secretary's desk…

"You have already done _enough,_" the long-haired raven spoke coldly with a death glare. "But you have no right to hurt Naruto."

Gato's face flushed even redder. "And who are you to tell me what to do! Do you want me to fire _you, _too? Or would you rather have me ask deport you and Zabuza back to Finland, too?"

The young raven's eyes became rigid. "Why, you—"

"It's all right, Haku. That's enough," Naruto spoke in a soft tone.

At that moment, the raven called Haku raised his head to face the blonde with concerned eyes. "What? But Naruto—"

Naruto raised his head to look into Haku's eyes, his own cerulean eyes dull. "That's enough." And he turned to walk out of the office without another word.

Sasuke was about to follow the blonde through the hallway, but he couldn't help but overhear another conversation from the people behind him.

Gato growled and wrestled away from Haku, glaring at both him and Kiba. "Get back to work! I'm not paying you to lollygag!"

Kiba frowned at the man, then walked out the door, Haku following along.

"Thanks for helping us out there," the Inuzuka spoke tiredly.

"It was nothing," Haku replied.

It was quiet again, until Sasuke had heard Haku speak again in a quiet tone.

"_But just out of curiosity—why is Naruto so against public transportation?"_

Another moment of dead silence.

Kiba sighed. _"Because of an accident years ago. His life's been rough until now."_

The Uchiha stiffened.

"_What kind of accident?"_

The brunette paused. _"I don't like to talk about my friends behind their backs like this… But you should be ok." _He paused again and exhaled sharply. _"A few years ago…Naruto's parents died in a plane crash. After that, the guy wouldn't even get into a car."_

Sasuke's face became rigid.

Kiba spoke again, but in a hushed whisper. _"But between you and me, there was also another one a few days before that, which I think hit a cord in his heart."_

Haku was silent. _"What happened in that one?"_

"…_he lost his best friend—in a _car _crash."_

Immediately, the Uchiha's eyes widened and his mouth gaped.

Haku gasped. _"Really?"_

"_Yeah. And since that night, he's been a nervous wreck. Up to now, he's never been the same."_

Silence.

"_Poor Naruto…"_

Sasuke closed his eyes and immediately ran off away from them, not wishing to hear any more.

Then he stopped when he found himself in another hallway, where he was finally alone.

The raven panted and leaned against a wall, his head hanging and hands on his knees.

And confusion filled his mind. All these questions come to rise…had it been all because of _him_ that his best friend was like this now? His own death…

_Naruto…_ the Uchiha thought to himself, covering his mouth with his hand.

~o~

After a while, Sasuke had finally caught up with Naruto as he slumped along the sidewalk with that same apathetic countenance.

The raven's eyes softened as he kept his gaze upon the blonde as they walked together. Then he began to remember all that had happened the night of the accident.

How they'd fought on the way home…the hurt on Naruto's face…the sound of honking horn…the flash of the truck's headlights…and Naruto's scream—the last thing he'd heard before…

_Is it really my fault? _the Uchiha thought to himself, pain in his eyes. And he wished at that moment that he could take back all that he'd said that night—how he'd hurt Naruto…

But it was too late now. All he could do now was watch.

The blonde let out a sigh and continued to slump along the sidewalk.

Sasuke's eyes softened, and he reached his arm out to try to touch the latter's shoulder again.

But suddenly, he heard a small cry coming from an alley they'd just passed.

Immediately, the raven stopped in his tracks and turned to see that Naruto had heard the cry as well, staying where he was—his eyes wide.

But then he turned to face the alley with a look on his face that made the Uchiha roll his eyes.

_Oh, no…here we go again._

The blonde's face became intent.

_Don't go in there, you dobe…_

But despite all that, Naruto began sprinting headlong into the alley.

~o~

**Notes from the KIT-chan~**

Things are about to get…interesting. ~wO

Stay tuned for the next chapter. And Happy Birthday to Sasuke. ^~^

*FYI: Er…Haku's from Finland because…it had the closest name to The Land of Waves. ^^" Sorry if it makes things too OOC. n.n" Thanks~! ^_^

.::.*~Kitsune~*.::.

_*****As usual, reviews would be appreciated muchly. ^~^ Salamat!*****_


	4. Chapter 4: Surprise

**I'm Sorry**

_**Chapter 4: Surprise**_

**Summary: **The last thing Sasuke hears is a blaring horn and his dobe's scream. Then, everything went black. Later on Sasuke wakes up again, but he is no longer living in the world he once knew. He's a guardian angel without wings, assigned by heaven to protect a certain someone-he must keep watch of this person for a certain amount of time, but cannot say or do anything to change that one's life. If he is able to complete this task, he will finally gain his wings and finally be able to move on. But when he finally arrives to his assigned destination (the city that never sleeps), he is surprised to find out that the person he must watch over is none other than Naruto Uzumaki. At first, he is thrilled to finally see his dobe again, but there's a catch. Naruto cannot see or hear Sasuke and he is not the happy-go-lucky blonde that the raven knew before... What will Sasuke do now?

_FAQ's usually sent to the President of the United States. Pshh—uh-huh, yeah. Right. More like the Queen of Spacing Out…and MOCHI! ^_^_

_**Mine? **_Of course not. Don't own Naruto. *Raises hands up innocently* This is only a story written by some poor, obsessed yaoi fangirl who literally enjoys spacing out and drifting away to the farthest, darkest corner of the universe (because it has cookies XD).

_**Warnings? **_YAOI, OOC, fluffiness, and tear-shedding, heartrending moments… TwT (I'm such a sap. XD)

_**Who? **_Pshh—Beavis and Butthead. O_O …of course not. XD Sasuke and Naruto, duh! =^w^=

_**Why? **_Because I want to, so there! XD And this plot bunny's been bugging me for a while now… ^^"

**Notes from the KIT-chan~**

Where this story will take a turn for the…worst?….best? .O You'll only find out by reading. XD

Enjoy~! ^~^

.::.*~Kitsune~*.::.

*OC alert—in this chapter another will be introduced—but he's not based on the Naruto canon. ^^" And I actually own him because I created him from scratch. XD He's from an RP that **Silver **and I started a few months ago, but never got to finish due to gradual loss of interest… ^^" So I decided to at least salvage my characters and save them for a good occasion like this. XD And don't worry—he's supposed to be uber-kawaii! ^.^

~o~

Sasuke watched as Naruto ran further into the alley, eyes darting in various directions.

"Hello?" the blonde called in a hushed tone. "Is anyone in here?"

That was when he heard another yelp.

Both the raven and blonde stiffened when they heard a loud crash coming from afar.

Naruto gulped, a bead of sweat rolling down the back of his neck, then rushed over to the darker end of the alley, where he could make out two shadowy figures—the bigger one holding the smaller one against the wall.

The blonde slowly crept towards them to get a closer look, and saw a man about his height clutching a small, bronze-haired boy by the neck and pressing him against the wall. The man looked like one of those punk-gangster people one would see in a movie—at least his clothes literally screamed that—and not to mention the numerous rings on each and every one of his fingers as well as the dangerous scowl on his face.

But the little bronze, about the age of five, in his grasp…he was so skinny that one could almost see his ribcage. His clothes were tattered and dirty, and Naruto was shocked to see the cuts and bruises all over his body. But that wasn't what hit a cord in the blonde's heart.

It was the terrified look in his big, emerald-green, puppy-dog eyes and the tears streaming down his cheeks.

That was when the small boy opened his mouth to speak. "Help—"

But in that instant, the young bronze was cut off by the thug holding him down, who banged his head against the wall and tightened his grip on the boy's neck. "Shut the fuck up!"

The latter winced in pain and whimpered as the man's rings began cutting into his skin.

Naruto stiffened, his face becoming rigid, and Sasuke merely shifted his eyes over to the blonde, wondering just what the latter was about to do…and he was pretty sure he had a good idea.

But what really ticked Naruto off was when the thug punched the green-eyed boy in the stomach after he started crying from the pain being put on his neck.

The blonde's eyes widened with rage and he took a step towards the two.

"Stop it!" he growled.

At that moment, the thug froze and turned to glare at the blue-eyed man standing on his left. "And who the hell are you to tell me what to do? Are you the King of Narnia?"

The little bronze gulped and opened his terrified eyes, shifting them towards the blonde nearby.

Naruto's eyes softened as he looked into the boy's eyes. Then he turned to give the thug a death glare. "Let the kid go. He's done nothing to you."

The Uchiha stood there cautiously, shifting his wary eyes from the thug to the blonde.

But the man only smirked and chuckled darkly. "Again, I ask: why should I even bother to listen to a punk like you? You definitely ain't the boss of me."

But the blonde only answered with a growl, taking another step forward with rage in his eyes. At that point, the raven could see that he was more than ticked off.

_Damn it, dobe—calm down…_

That was when Naruto spoke again in an icy tone. "Because you're the dumbest fuckin' asshole I've ever seen for picking on innocent little kids."

And this also ticked the thug off. His eyes narrowed into slits. "You think you're being such a hero now, aren't you? …don't make me laugh." He chuckled for a moment. But then he abruptly stopped to stare into the blonde's face with a dangerous look in his eyes. "Because I'll seriously _kill _you."

But this was merely nothing to Naruto, who cocked his head to the side, a smug grin on his face.

Sasuke groaned and put his hand on his forehead. _Oh, hell no…_

The blonde chuckled. "Oh, yeah? Try me."

And that finally set off the fuse between the two.

In just seconds, Naruto and the thug were already yelling and wrestling each other on the ground, a blur of flailing arms and legs visible from the perspective of a bystander.

But Sasuke's eyes were different now than they had been before, for he could always conveniently point Naruto out clearly from his surroundings since he was the one he was supposed to be watching over in the first place. He could perfectly see how the blonde carefully dodged the thug's attempted assaults and to his surprise…successfully landed hits on the guy's face.

The Uchiha relaxed a bit. Maybe there was really nothing to be worried about. It wasn't like the man even had a knife or a gun in his hand…

And while all this was happening, the raven glanced at the little bronze now trembling by a bunch of trash cans, slowly backing away from the two with wide eyes. The Uchiha's eyes softened, then he turned back to the two fighting men.

And finally, after the fight had gone on for a few more minutes, the thug quickly backed away from the blonde with a fearful expression on his face. Then he rubbed his mouth with his wrist, seeing a blot of scarlet on it as he glanced down.

"I'll get you," the thug spoke in a quavering tone. Then he whipped his head up at Naruto and immediately scrambled into a sprint. "I'll get you, punk! We're not finished yet!" he shouted, glancing back. "And next time, you won't get off so easy!"

But this didn't shake the blonde at all, who merely chuckled, a smug grin appearing on his face. "Yeah? Keep running, asshole!"

And pretty soon, the thug had finally disappeared from sight.

Naruto chuckled again triumphantly, crossing his arms.

Sasuke sighed and rolled his eyes. _Always the impulsive one…_

But then the smile faded from the blonde's face, and he turned to look around him.

_What is he doing?_

"Hey!" the latter called, eyes still darting in different directions. "It's safe to come out now!" He whistled, and took a few steps forward. "Little kid!"

That was when the raven realized he was looking for the young bronze-haired boy.

Naruto whistled again and continued calling the green-eyed boy as he walked back through the alley.

As the blonde kept looking around in every other direction, the Uchiha noticed that the idiot had forgotten to check behind the trash cans. But at that moment, he decided that maybe it was better to leave the poor kid alone where he was.

The little bronze was quietly sitting, keeping himself hidden behind the garbage cans, but after all, Sasuke could see that he was still scared half to death, trembling with fear. And those puppy-dog eyes…

The raven's eyes softened, then he turned to look at Naruto, who at this point was still searching for the small boy.

The Uchiha let out a sigh. _Give it a rest already, dobe. Didn't you ever realize that the kid might actually be afraid of __**you **__now? It's not like you're his brother or anything…_

But the blonde had only continued to call the little bronze again.

After a while, Naruto had finally given up and let out a sigh. Then he looked back and assumed that maybe the kid had already run away when he was fighting the thug, probably scared out of his mind.

…but he couldn't blame him. He was only what—five? But still…the blonde's eyes softened for a moment. What if he was lost or something?

That was when he began thinking to himself again—and eventually, the blue-eyed latter ended up walking home again, just as he had been in the first place. After all, he wouldn't be able to do anything about it anyway if he can't even find the kid himself…

Naruto let out another sigh as he sulked along the sidewalk, hands in his pockets.

~o~

After a few more blocks, a tall apartment had come into view.

At that moment, the raven could see that this was obviously where the blonde lived now.

But suddenly, Naruto stopped in front of the building.

The Uchiha raised an eyebrow.

Then, the blonde slowly turned his head towards the parking lot next to him.

Sasuke turned and saw that the latter was looking at a particular Camaro parked in the very front, colored what he thought to be an outrageously annoying shade of hot pink. At that moment, he rolled his eyes. There was only one person he could think of who was this obsessed with the color pink and was just as annoying as the car itself.

But for some reason, this made Naruto stiffen slightly. He hesitated for a moment, then turned back to the door of his apartment and thought sullenly.

_Sakura's gonna be really pissed if she finds out what happened to my job…_

~o~

After the raven had followed the blonde up three flights of stairs, they both finally came to a stop in front of a faded, brick-red door labeled "110."

Naruto let out a sigh and closed his eyes, hesitant to open the door.

But somehow after he'd waited for a few more minutes, he finally brought himself to put his hand on the doorknob, knowing it was already unlocked.

And when the door opened, the raven could see a young, pink-haired woman sitting on Naruto's couch.

_So he did hook up with her after all…_

But when the two had stepped into the room, they noticed that she was packing a suitcase full of clothes and accessories.

At that moment, the Uchiha frowned. _Guess not. _He turned to look at the blonde, his cerulean eyes now duller than ever.

"Sakura," Naruto spoke sullenly.

No response.

The blonde shifted his eyes to see that the woman was still packing.

The latter paused. "What are you doing?"

Suddenly, the pink-haired girl stopped for a moment, then spoke in an aggravated tone. "What does it _look _like I'm doing?" She turned to grab another one of her blouses.

This made Naruto wince. "But why?"

"You _perfectly _know the answer to that question," she shot back in an icy tone.

At that moment, the Uchiha exhaled sharply. _Just as bitchy as she was before…_

Then the blonde spoke again. "No—I don't."

In that instant, Sakura paused and shoved her suitcase to the side, laughing sarcastically. "Oh, really? Is that so?"

The latter was silent.

Suddenly, the pink-haired woman let out an exasperated sigh and stood up from the couch to give the blonde an icy glare. "All right, then. Let me explain, Naruto—as simple as I can possibly put it for a moron like you."

No response.

But Sakura went on, in an annoyed tone. "First things first, I see you leave this room saying you're going to work this morning. Then, two hours later, I get a call from Kiba Inuzuka asking if I knew where you were or if you were still _dozing off _in this very room. Of course, I was nice enough to say that I didn't _know _where the hell you were and asked him to—oh, I don't know, try your _cell phone _for once? So yeah—that made him hang up on me in less than a second. And not long after, I began to wonder, too…"

She narrowed her eyes at the latter. "What the hell could my _wonderful _boyfriend be doing at 9:00 in the morning when he should be going to work and actually getting money to help me pay our rent here in our _glorious _apartment? So yeah—I, out of my own will, decided to get off my butt here in this room and go out to see if you got lost or something on the streets since you _clearly _don't like using public transportation."

And when Naruto opened his mouth to speak, the pink-haired woman immediately put her hand in front of his face. "Don't you dare even say a _word._" She exhaled sharply, then hung her head. "And you know what happened the very moment I get into my car?"

The blonde stared back wearily.

Sakura went on, her voice rising with rage. "I get a call from Mr. Gato of Gato industries telling me that you just got _fired!_" She sighed and shook her head. "What the fuck did you do now, Naruto? _Huh?_"

The latter was silent.

The pink-haired girl exhaled sharply and closed her eyes. "I don't even want to _hear _about it." She turned away and paused for a moment. Then she spoke in a soft tone. "I'm leaving, Naruto. And it's not you, it's me." She sighed, slowly shook her head. "I know it's not your fault that you're depressed all the time, or that you always can't seem to get that accident out of your mind…it's just that _I'm _sick of having to put up with it every single day I'm here with you."

Sakura paused, then turned to face the blonde with sad eyes. "I'm tired of this, Naruto. I can't take this anymore. You have to move on now."

At that moment, the latter hung his head, eyes filled with melancholia.

Sasuke's eyes softened at the blonde.

The pink-haired girl let out a sigh, and walked back to the couch. "…and unless you can…" she spoke again, closing her suitcase shut. Then she looked up at the blonde. "I'm leaving. For _good_."

Sakura exhaled sharply, then picked up her suitcase and walked past Naruto towards the door.

But then the latter opened his mouth to speak in a weary tone. "Where are you going?"

In that instant, the pink-haired girl was silent. Then she spoke in a low tone. "None of your business."

Then the door slammed shut.

The raven winced when he saw the blonde's eyes fill with more sadness.

And at that moment, both could only think of two places the woman could possibly go to in that instant.

Either at her best friend's—the house that belonged to Ino Yamanaka…or Rock Lee's apartment.

Naruto let out a sigh.

~o~

In the hour that passed, dead silence filled the room.

And that whole time, the blonde did nothing but lie down in his bedroom, staring aimlessly at the ceiling with a morose expression on his face.

Sasuke winced as he saw the sorrow in his best friend's eyes—he had always hated seeing Naruto when he was sad…

But he couldn't do anything about it.

Suddenly, the raven heard a pattering sound, which made the blonde stiffen in an instant.

The Uchiha paused, then slowly raised his head towards the latter and saw that he was looking out the window, now covered in tiny drops of water. He stared at the window expressionlessly and shifted over to get a better look outside.

It was, indeed, raining. The sky was gray with dark clouds and the streets outside were literally drenched. The storm was so bad that it was just _ridiculous _to go outside.

But then, Sasuke's eyes widened when Naruto stood up from the bed and walked towards the door.

The Uchiha sighed. _Maybe not as unreasonable to a dobe._

~o~

The raven followed the blonde outside his apartment, and he wasn't wearing anything but a pair of jeans and a faded orange hoodie.

_Where the hell is he going at a time like this? _Sasuke thought to himself as Naruto slumped along the sidewalk with an indifferent countenance, hands stuffed in the pockets of his hoodie.

Suddenly, after they'd walked a few more blocks, the latter stopped as he passed a familiar alley and turned to face the darkness within it. But then he shrugged and continued walking along the sidewalk.

Although after a while, the Uchiha began noticing the blonde glancing behind his back every few minutes. And at the same time, both couldn't help but get the slightest feeling that someone was following them…

~o~

After a few more minutes, the two finally came to a stop in a nearby clearing.

The raven looked around curiously and saw that it was some sort of park or promenade. And he could also see a bench a few feet away from them and at some distance in front of it…a river of some sort—a large one, to be specific.

How familiar it seemed to the Uchiha…

Until suddenly, he realized _why._

~xXx~

Years ago, in the city of New York, when Naruto and Sasuke were still small, the blonde once lived in a more tranquil area not far from the promenade that the two were standing at that present moment.

He had lived in a big white house with his two loving parents, Minato Namikaze and Kushina Uzumaki, and Naruto had been a very happy child.

But that had only been at home.

Outside of that house, young Naruto had been shunned and made fun of by the children from his neighborhood and school. They would often laugh at him for failing tests and gibe about the whiskers on his cheeks, calling him "the fox demon of New York." But at other times, cruel, older boys bigger than the blonde would go and bully him, pushing him around as much as they pleased.

And Naruto hated it. One might think that he might have told his folks about it at least once, but that wasn't the case back then. In those years, the blonde's parents were rarely ever home (except on weekends), what with his father managing his industry and his mother helping him coordinate meetings with other businesses like Gato's. Naruto had taken this into consideration when he was a boy, and had decided not to mention a word to his parents about the problem he was having, for he feared it would disrupt them from their work.

So one afternoon after school, the small blonde thought of another way to avoid any trouble with the children in his neighborhood. Instead of walking home when the bus dropped him off, he merely continued past the large, white house until he finally came to a hidden clearing where he saw no sign of the children that bothered him. And it consisted of a small park bench a few feet away from the widest river he'd ever seen.

He had looked around, seeing that no one in his neighborhood would be able to find him in that area, and he sat down on the bench with his backpack, staring out at what is actually called the Hudson River.

And it soothed him to see the clear, blue water…the ferries passing by every now and then. Yet no one to hurt him or make fun of him, which had been the best thing about the spot he had found…

Until one dark, rainy day, when the weather had been just as bad as it was presently.

That afternoon, the blonde had literally sprinted to his secret hideout, tears streaming down his cheeks. And he didn't even care if it was raining or not, for he had been too upset.

Young Naruto had dropped his backpack on the bench and sat down, burying his face in his hands and letting out a sob.

What had happened earlier that day at the blonde's school was unforgivable. The boys had been more than brutal to him during recess—stealing his lunch money…throwing dodgeballs at him… And the girls had been almost just as worse. They had scolded and made fun of him numerous times throughout the day—even on the _bus_.

Even at that moment, the latter had still felt like a worthless wreck.

Suddenly, a gust of wind blew by, causing Naruto to shiver and whip his arms around himself.

_Damn, it's so cold…_

That was when he began to hear soft footsteps on the ground, coming towards his direction—getting louder and louder as they passed obvious puddles on the ground.

The blonde stiffened as he heard the sound of the footsteps. Hadn't he been alone when he had come to this area?

Suddenly, the footsteps stopped in front of the latter.

"Hn," a voice spoke. "You're gonna catch a cold just sitting out here in the rain."

Naruto hesitated, then slowly lifted his head up to look at his unexpected visitor.

And through his teary eyes, he could make out a young raven a bit older than him, wearing a navy blue sweater and khakis. He was holding an umbrella and staring at him with a stoic countenance.

Then the blonde lowered his eyes and spoke in a dull tone. "Why do you even bother with me? It's not like I care. …I shouldn't even _exist_." He paused, then slightly raised his head. "Why don't you just join the rest of them and push me down or something?"

The raven was silent for a moment, considered the response he'd just received. Then, after a few seconds, he opened his mouth to speak again.

"_Dobe," _he drawled. Then he paused, extending a hand towards the blonde.

At first, Naruto hesitated for a minute, then looked up at the raven to see he was holding a black string with a dark teal crystal attached to the middle.

His eyes widened. "That's…"

The raven pursed his lips. "You dropped this when you ran off the bus."

The blonde stiffened, then took the necklace from the latter's hand.

He paused for a moment and briefly glanced at the raven, then looked back down.

"Thanks," the blonde spoke softly.

Then it was quiet again.

After a while, the raven scratched his head, resenting the awkward silence. After all, this had only been two days since he'd moved to this city…

Finally, he spoke again with a slightly sheepish expression on his face.

"I'm Sasuke."

The blonde paused, then spoke in a hushed tone. "…Naruto."

Another moment of silence.

Sasuke scratched his head, searching for more words to fill the dead silence. He looked at the latter, hesitating for a moment. Then he held his hand out towards the blonde.

Naruto paused again and glanced at the raven's pale hand in the rain.

Sasuke pursed his lips, then spoke in a low tone. "Here—I'll take you home."

In that instant, the blonde shrank back hesitantly. Then he spoke in a soft tone. "Do…do you really…mean it?"

The raven paused for a moment. "Yeah."

Naruto took that time to consider the latter's offer, still unsure. Then he spoke again. "You're not here to hurt me, too, are you?"

At that moment, Sasuke's eyes softened, remembering how he'd seen the blonde being tortured out in the playground earlier.

"Of course not."

The blonde froze, then looked up at the raven with wide eyes.

The latter smirked. "I'm not a sadist like the rest of them." Then suddenly, his smirk turned into a reassuring smile, rare to him since he was an Uchiha. But at a time like this…

Naruto's eyes bulged at the raven's response. But when he saw the reassuring smile on the latter's face…he couldn't help but feel that he knew he could trust this boy. The blonde smiled back, his face tranquil, then took Sasuke's hand.

The raven nodded once when Naruto was up on his feet. "Come on—let's get out of the rain."

And the two ran in the distance, umbrella over their heads.

A few minutes later, the blonde was surprised to see that the raven had known where he lived as the two of them stood in front of his house.

But that was when Naruto had figured out that Sasuke had been his new neighbor and lived just next to his house. And since that day, the two had ended up being best friends…

~xXx~

The Uchiha's face became rigid in that instant as the blonde sat down on the park bench, expressionlessly staring out into the now dark-gray Hudson River.

Then, Naruto let out a sigh and looked up at the cloudy sky, muttering to himself.

"It was just like this that day…wasn't it?"

At that moment, the raven's eyes softened. _Yes, it was…_

The blonde sighed again.

~o~

It had been raining for over an hour now, and Naruto had still stayed where he was, hopelessly staring out at the river.

Sasuke winced as he watched his ocean blue eyes grow dull with sorrow and indifference.

How he wished that he could do something to comfort the blonde…

Suddenly, there was a rustling sound from behind.

The raven stiffened and looked back to see that it was coming from the bushes. Then he turned to look at Naruto, who merely closed his eyes and hung his head.

At that moment, the bushes rustled again.

Then the blonde finally opened his mouth to speak. "All right—that's it. Show yourself already."

The Uchiha paused and turned to look at the bushes again.

After a few seconds, a small bronze-haired boy slowly emerged from the bushes with a intimidated expression on his face.

~o~

**Notes from the KIT-chan~**

You'll find out the boy's name in the next chapter. ^^" And another thing—the next chapter's gonna be both very fluffy and very sad like this one… TwT

And FYI: the scene where Naruto first met Sasuke is based on a song called "I'm With You" by Avril Lavigne. Just thought it fit in. XD And no-I don't own the song, either. ^^"

Stay tuned~! ^~^

.::.*~Kitsune~*.::.

_*****As usual, reviews would be appreciated muchly. ^~^ Salamat!*****_


	5. Chapter 5: Bonds

**I'm Sorry**

_**Chapter 5: Bonds**_

_FAQ's usually sent to the President of the United States. Pshh—uh-huh, yeah. Right. More like the Queen of Spacing Out…and MOCHI! ^_^_

_**Mine? **_Of course not. Don't own Naruto. *Raises hands up innocently* This is only a story written by some poor, obsessed yaoi fangirl who literally enjoys spacing out and drifting away to the farthest, darkest corner of the universe (because it has cookies XD).

_**Warnings? **_YAOI, OOC, fluffiness, and tear-shedding, heartrending moments… TwT (I'm such a sap. XD)

_**Who? **_Pshh—Beavis and Butthead. O_O …of course not. XD Sasuke and Naruto, duh! =^w^=

_**Why? **_Because I want to, so there! XD And this plot bunny's been bugging me for a while now… ^^"

**Notes from the KIT-chan~**

Okay—I just wanna say that this is gonna be so effin' sad… T_T but fluffy at the same time. ^^"

Enjoy. ^~^

.::.*~Kitsune~*.::.

~o~

Sasuke's eyes widened as he saw the little bronze emerge from the bushes, his green, puppy-dog eyes filled with intimidation. Then he turned to look at Naruto, whose eyes were still closed.

The promenade was silent for a while except for the pitter-pattering sound of the rain falling.

That was when the blonde sighed and finally turned around to look at his unexpected guest.

But when he saw the shy, bronze-haired boy, his eyes widened with surprise. Then he opened his mouth to speak. "Oh!"

At that moment, the little one shrank back.

Naruto paused and slowly got up from the bench to calmly approach the bronze. But as he got closer, the latter began to cringe with fear.

The blonde noticed this and spoke again in a softer tone. "I'm sorry, little guy. I didn't mean to scare you like that." He paused and lowered himself on his knees so that he was at the small boy's level. Then he reached his hand out to touch the latter's shoulder.

But as he did this, Naruto saw him start to take tiny steps backward.

The blonde's eyes softened and he spoke in a hushed voice. "Don't be afraid—I promise I won't hurt you."

At that moment, the green-eyed boy stopped in his tracks and stared back at Naruto with an unsure expression on his face. In that same instant, the blonde's hand slowly continued to advance towards the latter, who stiffened and closed his eyes, bracing for pain.

But he only felt a soft caress on his cheek and relaxed a little, opening his eyes to curiously stare back at the blue-eyed man in front of him.

And Sasuke was surprised to see a big, happy-go-lucky grin appear on Naruto's face for the first time in years. What's more, it astonished him to see how he was handling this so smoothly. He wasn't exactly the type to be babysitting little children…but after all, he _had _changed in the past few years.

The blonde chuckled once. "See? I'm not gonna hurt you, little guy."

At that moment, a tiny smile appeared on the young bronze's face and he slowly raised his hand to touch Naruto's, still on his cheek. And he let out a small sigh of relief, closing his eyes.

~o~

Naruto watched as the rain continued to fall to the earth. Then he turned to look at the little bronze quietly sitting beside him on the bench, his arm around his shoulders.

The blonde pursed his lips, then spoke in a calm voice. "So…are you the one who's been following me all this time?"

The green-eyed boy was hesitant for a moment, then he turned his head to look down at his feet with a shy expression on his face.

Naruto's eyes softened. Then he spoke again in a hushed tone. "That's okay. I don't mind that at all."

The little bronze paused, then slowly raised his head to look at the blonde with timid eyes.

Naruto stared back warmly, then turned to look back up at the gray, cloudy sky.

"We should get out of the rain first."

~o~

Since the two had been in an area farther away from town, they had decided to settle under a nearby tree Naruto had found.

The bronze and blonde watched as rain drops fell on the surface of the Hudson River.

Then the blue-eyed man pursed his lips to speak again. "So…you got a name, kid?"

He turned to look at the green-eyed boy, who shyly lowered his head down to his curled-up knees. "…Adrian," he spoke in a small voice.

Naruto paused for a moment and contemplated. "Hm. Nice to meet you, Adrian." He slowly turned to look at the bronze. "I'm Naruto."

At that moment, the latter thought and looked at the blonde, an eyebrow raised in confusion.

"Na…Nar-ruro?"

The blue-eyed man chuckled at the young bronze's attempt at pronouncing his name. Then he spoke in a calm voice. "Na-ru-to."

The green-eyed boy tilted his head in curiosity. "Naruro?"

The blonde smiled. "No. _Naruto._"

In that instant, Adrian's face became perplexed.

The blue-eyed man chuckled lightly. "Make the second '_r' _a '_t' _and you're good."

The little bronze took that moment to consider the blonde's comment, then looked at him with an unsure expression on his face.

"Na…ru…to?"

Naruto nodded once, amused at the effort the latter had put into saying his name, his face still perplexed. But he couldn't blame the kid—he knew his name would probably be a bit complicated for someone his age. Even Sasuke couldn't help but chuckle himself.

The blonde smiled at Adrian. "You know what? You can call me _Naru _instead."

The little bronze paused, contemplating for a moment. "Na…ru?" Then the latter giggled. "_Mr. _Naru!"

In that instant, the Uchiha broke out into a wave of laughter. _Nice nickname, dobe…_

The blonde grinned sheepishly, then scratched the back of his head. "Er…let's drop the _mister, _kid.I'm not _that_ old, you know."

Adrian giggled, then sighed.

At that moment, both were quiet again.

Then Naruto opened his mouth to speak in a calm voice. "So, Adrian…"

"Hm?" the green-eyed boy mumbled, looking up at the blonde.

The blue-eyed man paused for a moment. "…what were you doing all by yourself in that alley? Were you lost or something?"

Suddenly, the bronze was silent.

Naruto paused again, then turned his head to look at the latter, who now had a solemn countenance. He pursed his lips. "Did you...get separated from your mom and dad?"

Still no response from the green-eyed boy.

At the same time, the rain stopped all of a sudden.

Adrian hesitated for a second, then turned to face the blonde with sad eyes.

"My mom and dad are dead."

Sasuke's eyes widened. Then he turned to look at his best friend, whose face had become rigid.

But then Naruto's eyes softened and he lowered his head down to his knees, looking away from the bronze. Then he spoke in a hushed whisper.

"…same here."

~o~

After a while, the clouds had finally dispersed, and the two had climbed out from under the tree. That was when Naruto had gotten the idea to take Adrian out for a walk down the promenade, watching as the sun slowly began to sink towards the other side of the Hudson River.

At the same time, Sasuke had watched them from behind.

And finally, when night had just fallen, they had returned to the bench with popsicles in their hands, for the blonde had also treated the little bronze to a local ice cream stand on the way back.

But when they sat down, the atmosphere had become somber again.

"My parents died when I was very little," Adrian had spoken in a soft voice. His face grew solemn. "Our house was on fire that night."

The blonde's eyes softened. "So you've been on your own all this time?"

The little bronze shook his head. "No." He paused for a minute. "My big brother Tony…took care of me back then. He's the one who…took me to that alley. Tony—he's always been the one looking out for me ever since Mommy and Daddy died…" Suddenly, his green eyes grew sad. "But one day…he got sick and I couldn't take care of him…" He sniffled.

Naruto noticed this and was silent for an instant.

At that moment, Adrian let out a sob, rubbing his eyes. "Brother said he'd always be there for me…that…that he wouldn't leave me…"

The blonde's eyes softened, and he held the young bronze close. Almost immediately, the green-eyed boy got onto the latter's lap and leaned his little head against his chest.

Sasuke's eyes softened as well as he saw tears roll down Adrian's cheeks.

The small bronze cried.

Naruto spoke in a hushed tone. "Shh…it's not your fault."

A sniffle could be heard.

Then the blonde spoke again, eyes becoming dull. "When my parents died, I used to think it was my fault, too."

At that moment, Adrian rubbed his eyes and looked up at the blue-eyed man. "Why?"

Naruto winced and was silent for a minute. "My mom and dad…died in a plane crash. And they had been on their way to California."

Sasuke's eyes widened.

The blonde's voice grew soft. "I was supposed to go with them because we were moving there, but…I didn't go."

The raven held his breath.

The little bronze tilted his head. "How come?"

Naruto was silent for a moment. Then he spoke in a hushed whisper. "Because I still had a friend back here. My _best _friend." He swallowed, his voice faltering. "I didn't want to leave him behind." He closed his eyes and hung his head. "But in the end, I hurt him anyway and lost him, too…"

The Uchiha's face became rigid. _Naruto, you…_

At that moment, Adrian's eyes softened, and he gently placed a hand on the blonde's whiskered cheek.

Naruto let out a sigh and opened his eyes to look at the young bronze, whose eyes were filled with concern.

"It's not your fault, Naru," the green-eyed boy spoke in a soft tone.

The blue-eyed man smiled.

Adrian laughed and opened his mouth to speak, but he suddenly froze when he saw a dot of yellow light floating in front of him, eyes intimidated.

At that moment, Naruto couldn't help but laugh. "Don't you know what that is?"

The little bronze hesitated for a moment and shook his head slowly.

The blonde grinned, catching the small dot of light and holding it out to the green-eyed boy in his palm. "It's a firefly."

Adrian paused and looked down at the light in the latter's hand. But in that instant, it flew up and onto the young bronze's nose. He giggled. "Hey! That tickles!"

Naruto chuckled once.

The green-eyed boy laughed again, turning as the little light flew away. And he gasped when he saw a whole bunch of fireflies flying around in front of them.

Almost immediately, he ran towards the small dots of light darting around in different directions. "I'm gonna catch you all!" the young bronze cried.

The blonde laughed softly as he watched little Adrian scatter the group of fireflies.

The raven let out a sigh.

~o~

Finally, it had come to a point where the small bronze had gotten tired and fell back on Naruto's lap again. Adrian yawned and rubbed his eyes.

The blonde warmly smiled down at the green-eyed boy.

And Adrian giggled, smiling back.

Then the green eyed boy turned to look up at the sky, where stars were scattered all over the place. He smiled and spoke in a small voice. "Before when Tony used to take care of me and tuck me in every night before bedtime, he used to look at the stars with me." His emerald-green eyes twinkled under the moonlight. "And Big Brother would point at one of them and tell me what it was called." The little bronze let out a small sigh. "Tony knew all of the stars' names by heart—like Polaris." He raised his arm to point at a particularly bright and shining star in the distance.

Naruto chuckled. "The North Star."

Adrian giggled and nodded once. "Yeah." Then he was silent again, his eyes becoming solemn. "He told me he wanted to be an astronaut when he grew up and that he'd go to the moon one day…" the bronze trailed off and sighed, closing his eyes.

The blonde's eyes softened, and he looked up at the night sky, focusing his gaze on the stars that lit up everywhere.

Sasuke watched the latter with a solemn countenance.

That was when Naruto's face became rigid all of a sudden, when something in particular had caught his eye.

The raven paused for a moment to consider the blonde's abrupt reaction, then slowly turned his head to look up at the sky.

And there it was—a tiny dot of white light moving across the darkness, but with smaller dots just behind it, their lights blinking every now and then.

At that moment, the Uchiha's face became solemn, and he turned back to look at Naruto, whose eyes were now closed.

The blonde sighed, then opened his mouth to speak in a hushed tone. "I used to look at the stars with my best friend, too."

Adrian raised his head to look up at the latter, whose eyes were now filled with sadness.

Naruto went on. "He used to come out here with me every night, at this same bench, just so we could look at the sky and catch fireflies around us." He paused. "And most of the time, airplanes like this one would fly above us." He looked at the green-eyed boy. "You know…when I was little, I actually used to think they were…"

"Giant fireflies?" the young bronze asked eagerly.

The blonde chuckled weakly. "No." He looked back up at the night sky, his eyes filled with sadness. Then he spoke in a hushed whisper.

"…shooting stars." He winced and hung his head, his face solemn. "Back then, my best friend and I would argue about it sometimes."

Naruto paused for a moment. "But that…was a long time ago."

Sasuke stiffened, his gaze softening on the latter. Then, he turned to look up at the airplane up in the sky and closed his eyes.

~xXx~

Laughter filled the air at that moment.

It was almost 9:00, and the promenade had held a tranquil, languid atmosphere.

And there had been no one there except for two small boys, a raven and a blonde, running around in the moonlight and chasing tiny dots of yellow light that darted around in different directions.

"_Over there!"_ the young blonde laughed, clasping his hands out in front of him to catch one of the yellow dots but accidentally stepping on the raven's foot.

"_Hey! Watch it!"_ the raven spoke in an annoyed tone, stumbling away from the blonde.

"_Gah—sorry, teme!"_ the blue-eyed boy replied, quickly getting off the latter's foot.

The small Uchiha rolled his eyes, then smirked at the blonde. _"Hn. Dobe."_

In an instant, young Naruto pouted, crossing his arms. Then he stuck out his tongue. But suddenly, he froze when a firefly had landed on his nose.

Sasuke chuckled softly.

"_Hey!"_ the blonde cried out, causing the bug to zoom away from him. He exhaled sharply, then ran straight ahead until he was about to bump into the raven.

Sasuke stiffened as he saw what was happening at the moment and held out his hands.

"_Naru—watch you're—"_

But before the Uchiha could finish his warning, the two were already on the ground, his bushy-haired friend sprawled on top of him.

And their faces had just been an inch apart.

The blonde chuckled nervously. "_Haha—whoops. Sorry about that, S'uke—"_ He stopped instantly when he saw how close he was to the raven's face. And almost immediately, Naruto's face flushed bright pink.

Sasuke raised an eyebrow in amusement.

The latter stuttered. _"Uh…"_

At that moment, another firefly landed on top of his nose, and the blonde stopped to blow the bug off, rolling off the Uchiha at the same time.

The raven chuckled as he saw his best friend lie down on the grass with his hands behind his head.

Naruto laughed, showing of his usual, happy-go-lucky grin. Then he sighed, looking up at the stars above him.

Sasuke's eyes softened as he watched the latter's soft, bushy blonde hair flow in the light wind and his big, ocean blue eyes sparkle under the moonlight as if they were two pools of sapphire.

Then suddenly, the blonde's eyes widened and his mouth gaped with surprise. _"Hey! Look at that!"_ he cried, raising his arm to point a finger above him.

The raven paused, then shifted his eyes to look in the direction of Naruto's extended finger.

And above them, he could see a bright dot of white light, moving along the darkness. Then he looked back at the blonde.

The blue-eyed boy exclaimed in awe, his eyes twinkling as the white light passed above him. _"Wow! A shooting star!"_ He sighed, then chuckled to himself, a smug grin appearing on his face. _"It's my lucky day, teme! I get to make a wish!" _The blonde laughed in excitement.

However, the raven didn't even stir. He stared at his best friend for a moment, then looked back at the moving dot of light above them, only to see a silhouette of wings behind it along with two smaller dots of light that occasionally blinked. Then, he turned to face Naruto, who was still laughing.

Sasuke's face was expressionless. _"Naru."_

At that moment, the latter stopped laughing, and looked at his best friend with a curious countenance. _"Yeah?"_

The raven paused for a moment, then spoke in a calm voice. _"That's not a shooting star."_

The blonde considered the comment, then shrank back, confusion in his eyes. _"Huh! What do you mean, it's not a shooting star?"_

The Uchiha thought for a minute, then pointed up at the moving dot of light, the blue-eyed boy following his gaze.

"_It can't be a shooting star because it has wings."_

Naruto stared at the 'star' for a long moment, then opened his mouth to speak. _"Okay, then…it's a shooting star—with wings!"_

In that instant, the raven slapped his forehead and exhaled sharply, slowly shaking his head with his eyes closed.

The latter shrank back with a perplexed countenance. "_What?"_

The Uchiha muttered to himself. _"How else can I put this…" _

After a few seconds, he looked back at the blonde again with a sarcastic expression on his face.

"_Let's try this again." _He sighed. _"For one thing, it's _blinking_, for goodness sake."_

"_Hm? Really?" _the blue-eyed boy replied, staring at the Uchiha obliviously. Then he looked up at the moving dot of light in the night sky. He marveled as it blinked once, just as his best friend had said. That was when he thought again and spoke his idea proudly. _"Wow, teme—then that must mean that this shooting star's special! Maybe it really is my lucky day!" _

At that moment, Sasuke let out an exasperated sigh and scratched the back of his head. _"No, you idiot—it's an air—" _He stopped all of a sudden when he saw the upset look that began to appear on the blonde's face.

In that instant, the raven wanted to kick himself. He really hated it when Naruto gave him _that _look…

The young Uchiha exhaled sharply and thought again, furrowing his brow. For one thing, it was still _his_ birthday, anyway. And to be specific, he was turning five.

The blue-eyed boy tilted his head and looked at his best friend, stuck in his train of thought.

"…_S'uke?"_

At that moment, Sasuke opened his mouth and spoke in a softer tone. _"What I meant to say is that it's not _just_ special because it's _airborne." He paused for a moment.

But when he turned towards at the blonde, he'd only looked as perplexed as if the raven had just spoken to him in Spanish.

Naruto raised an eyebrow in confusion. _"Huh?"_

The Uchiha was quiet for a minute, then he sighed and closed his eyes, shaking his head and chuckling softly to himself. _"Never mind. Just make your wish, dobe."_

The blonde hesitated for a moment, still trying to consider what his friend had just said, but then he finally gave up and laughed. _"All right, then." _

He turned to look up at the 'shooting star' and thought. _"Hm…I wish…"_

Sasuke waited patiently.

The blue-eyed boy glanced at the raven. Then he shifted his gaze back on the dot of light and chuckled. _"I wish that I'll always have my best friend here to play with me!"_

At that moment, the Uchiha shrank back in disbelief and looked at Naruto. _"What? You'd give up your wish just for that? Or are you only saying that because I'm here?"_

In that instant, the blonde laughed. _"No, teme! That's what I really wanted to ask for!"_

Sasuke raised an eyebrow in amusement. _"Hn. Is that so?"_

Naruto continued to laugh. _"Yeah!"_

The Uchiha smirked, still not buying the latter's response.

Suddenly, the blonde stopped laughing and was silent for a moment. _"I mean…we'll always be together, right?"_

At that moment, the raven stiffened and turned to see that the latter's face had become solemn. His eyes softened. He couldn't be joking around anymore. And after all, he _had_ really been the only one that Naruto had to turn to all this time…

Sasuke paused, then spoke in a soft tone. _"Of course." _He looked at the latter, then slowly lifted his hand to gently place it over the small, tan one.

The latter noticed this and turned his head to face the Uchiha, who now had a small but warm smile on his face.

This made the blonde hesitate for a moment, his shy face flushing pink again.

But from out of the blue, yet another firefly had decided to perch on top of his little nose.

The blue-eyed boy froze, looking down at the tiny bug of light.

The raven laughed. _"That firefly must really like you, Naru."_

Naruto crossed his arms and pouted. But after a few seconds, a big, happy-go-lucky grin had appeared on his face and the air had been filled with his laughter as well.

~xXx~

Even at that moment, the two could still hear their laughter ringing through their ears.

Sasuke winced. Now that he actually thought of it, it had been years since the two of them had laughed together like that… He closed his eyes and slowly shook his head.

But suddenly, the raven stiffened when he noticed Adrian stir on Naruto's lap.

He turned and saw that the blonde's head was drooping, his face melancholy and eyes dull.

Then, the little bronze's eyes widened, filled with concern.

"Naru!" he cried in a small voice.

At that moment, Naruto stirred. "Huh?"

That was when he felt young Adrian wipe his cheek with his hand.

The green-eyed boy's gaze softened, looking down at his now damp finger. "You're crying…"

Once the Uchiha had heard the comment, his face instantly became rigid.

The blonde stiffened, then reached up to touch his cheeks, noticing that they were, indeed, wet with tears.

And when Sasuke had finally seen this, his eyes softened and his heart filled with sadness.

Soon, the bronze had lifted his hand up again to wipe another tear rolling down the latter's whiskered cheek. "Naru…" he spoke in a soft tone.

Suddenly, Naruto had closed his eyes and let out a sigh. Then he looked at young Adrian with sad eyes. "I'll be okay."

But this still didn't satisfy the little bronze.

The blonde smiled, then looked up at the night sky again. By this time, the airplane had already gone. His eyes softened. "It's getting late. We should be going home now."

~o~

At first, Naruto had offered to let Adrian stay in his apartment, but instead the little bronze had preferred to stay in his alley, for he claimed that he couldn't leave it behind.

With that, the blonde had no choice and took the green-eyed boy back to the alley where he had been first found, not wishing to force him or anything.

The blue-eyed man stopped in front of the passage with the bronze's hand in his, and he peered into the darkness inside.

Adrian turned his head to face Naruto and nodded once with a smile, stepping into the place he called home.

The blonde nodded in response and released the latter's hand. Then he looked at the bronze reluctantly. "Are you sure you'll be all right here by yourself?"

Little Adrian's eyes softened. "Don't worry. I will. I'm used to being alone, anyway."

The blue-eyed man was still silent.

The young bronze sighed, then walked over to hug his newfound friend. "Thank you for saving me from that man earlier…and for the ice cream."

Naruto froze, then bent down to return the latter's embrace with a warm smile. "You're welcome. And thank _you _for keeping me company earlier."

Adrian giggled.

The blonde sighed and pulled back from the bronze, who was still smiling.

Then, the green-eyed boy spoke again in a small voice. "Are _you _gonna be all right by yourself?"

The blue-eyed man paused, then chuckled softly. "Yeah. I'll be okay."

Adrian smiled and nodded. "Okay."

Naruto grinned back. Then, reluctantly, he began to turn away from the young bronze.

At that moment, the latter giggled again. "Bye-bye, Naru! Good night!"

The blonde sighed. "Good night, Adrian. I hope I'll see you again someday."

The green-eyed boy smiled warmly.

Then finally, the blue-eyed man slowly walked past the alley.

And Sasuke was about to follow along, when he heard the little bronze say something else.

He turned, and noticed that he was looking up at the stars curiously.

Then, Adrian opened his mouth to speak in a small voice.

"Hey, Tony. If you find Naru's best friend up there, can you tell him that Naru really misses him?"

In that instant, the raven's eyes widened and his face became rigid.

The young bronze giggled and walked back into the alley.

After a while, the Uchiha turned to leave as well, staring after Naruto with sad eyes.

Then he spoke to himself in a soft tone. "Don't worry—I'll tell him how much I miss him, too…"

~o~

**Notes from the KIT-chan~**

Can we pretend that airplanes in the night sky are like shooting stars? I could really use a wish right now, wish right now, wish right now… TT_TT ~Airplanes by B.o.B feat. Hayley Williams

Stay tuned for the next chapter… T.T And please review so I know how what you think of this so far. ^^" Thankies~! ^~^

.::.*~Kitsune~*.::.

_*****As usual, reviews would be appreciated muchly. ^~^ Salamat!*****_


	6. Chapter 6: Tears

**I'm Sorry**

_**Chapter 6: Tears**_

_FAQ's usually sent to the President of the United States. Pshh—uh-huh, yeah. Right. More like the Queen of Spacing Out…and MOCHI! ^_^_

_**Mine? **_Of course not. Don't own Naruto. *Raises hands up innocently* This is only a story written by some poor, obsessed yaoi fangirl who literally enjoys spacing out and drifting away to the farthest, darkest corner of the universe (because it has cookies XD).

_**Warnings? **_YAOI, OOC, fluffiness, and tear-shedding, heartrending moments… TwT (I'm such a sap. XD)

_**Who? **_Pshh—Beavis and Butthead. O_O …of course not. XD Sasuke and Naruto, duh! =^w^=

_**Why? **_Because I want to, so there! XD And this plot bunny's been bugging me for a while now… ^^"

**Notes from the KIT-chan~**

At this point, we have been introduced to young Adrian King, Naruto's bronze friend, and his deceased older brother, Anthony. We have also gotten an idea of the grief and hardship that the two had gone through in the past few years…but the sadness does not stop there. TT_TT

Enjoy. ^~^";

.::.*~Kitsune~*.::.

~o~

It was silent for the next few minutes, and not one word had been said since the two had left the alley.

But both hearts had been filled with painful sorrow.

Sasuke closed his eyes, then hesitantly glanced up at the blonde as he walked next to him on the sidewalk. And even now, the latter was still in a slouch with his hands stuffed in his pockets. Naruto's head was hanging, and his eyes were once again dull with sadness.

The raven winced and shifted his eyes back to the ground.

The two men walked quietly next to each other the rest of the way with their heads drooping, as if there were an invisible barrier between them.

In fact, it had been so silent that even the Uchiha did not notice his best friend take a detour away from the path leading back home to his apartment. And he had not been aware of the gate the latter had soon entered, nor the flowers and tombstones that the two of them absent-mindedly passed by.

At first impression, one could immediately see that they were now in a local graveyard. But Sasuke did not notice, for he had still been deep in his thoughts, desperately thinking of other ways to help his brokenhearted friend—that is, if they ever _were_ possible in the first place. After all, he was just a stupid, wingless _guardian angel_ now—what else could he do but _watch? _And he'd already hurt the blonde more than enough at that point…

He shook his head slowly and let out a defeated sigh, slumping beside Naruto through the tall grass and rows of gravestones.

Moments later, when the raven had glanced up again to get a brief idea of where they were in that instant, all he could see now was that they were walking up a hill.

And this made the Uchiha wonder, for he didn't remember walking up a hill on the way to the blonde's apartment, more or less even seen this much tall grass surrounding them.

That was when the blue-eyed man came to a stop under a tree at the very top of the mount and stood there quietly with a sorrowful expression on his face.

Sasuke paused from a distance and stared at Naruto with a perplexed countenance, then looked around the place they were in. And he stiffened in an instant when he saw rows of tombstones lined up behind them downhill.

What the hell were they doing in a frickin' _graveyard _at this time of night?

Then he turned back towards his best friend and quietly peered over his shoulder, only to see another gravestone, purposely isolated from the others. And there had been nothing else but the tree and a bouquet of roses sitting in front of it.

At that moment, the raven's eyes softened. _But who? It can't be his parents—there's only one here— _Suddenly, his face became rigid. _Oh hell, no. _

Naruto closed his eyes and slowly shook his head.

The Uchiha held his breath. _It can't be… _

He paused, then took a step closer to get a better look at the name engraved into the stone.

And the raven's eyes widened in an instant, for it read:

**SASUKE UCHIHA**

July 23, 1985—October 3, 2010

_Beloved son, brother, and friend_

Sasuke's mouth gaped, then he shifted his eyes towards the blonde, whose head was hanging, his eyes hidden behind his bangs. His eyes softened.

_Naruto…_

Suddenly, the latter let out a stifled sob and took a deep breath. Then he composed himself and raised his head to look at the tombstone with sad eyes.

Naruto sighed, then opened his mouth to speak in a hushed tone. "Hey, teme."

The raven listened with a solemn expression on his face as he stood next to the blonde.

The latter paused, then continued. "I know it's been a while since the last time I came here to visit you, but…I just couldn't stay away." He paused again. "I mean, my life's been busy and all, and I'm doing pretty well these days…" His voice faltered.

Sasuke's eyes softened.

The blonde sighed and hung his head. "Aw, who am I kidding? Everything's been a wreck since that day, and it still is right now." He glanced back at the tombstone with sad eyes. "But…it's not like I'm blaming you for anything that's happened." His voice wavered, and the latter lowered his gaze. "None of this is your fault, anyway…it's mine."

The raven looked at Naruto with a somber countenance.

The blue-eyed man sniffled, then looked back at the tombstone. "Either way you look at it, it's all been because of me in the first place." His eyes became filled with melancholia. "I was the one who didn't tell you how I was moving that day. It's my fault you got hurt in that accident…"

At that moment, the blonde's eyes began to well up with tears. "But I never did want to hurt you, Sasuke, even at the very beginning. That's why I didn't tell you. To tell you the truth, I didn't even want to leave in the first place. I wanted to convince my parents to let me stay here with you so that no one would get hurt…" His voice faltered, and he raised his arm to wipe his tears.

"But all that didn't even matter because I lost you in the end anyway…_and _my parents, too." Naruto sobbed and sniffled. "I stayed here that whole time, Sasuke, because you were my best friend, damn it…even when you were in the hospital, I still couldn't leave you. So I didn't." He paused for a moment. "But in the end…I didn't know that I'd end up losing my parents, too, when their frickin' plane crashed on the way to California. It's just not fair, no matter how I look at it."

The Uchiha's heart swelled with sorrow and he winced at what he'd just heard—at the misery his best friend was feeling at that moment…

The latter let out another sob, tears streaming down his cheeks. "God, I never did want to leave, teme…so I stayed." He held his breath and exhaled sharply. "Damn, I'm so sorry…"

He cried and wiped his cheeks with his shirt sleeve.

Sasuke's eyes softened and felt his chest tighten with grief. He dropped down to his knees, staring at the ground with a pained expression on his face as he listened to the blonde sob right in front of him.

The raven closed his eyes and clenched his fists on the tall grass in frustration and sadness.

Dear God, _why_ couldn't he do anything to help his best friend? _Why…_

He listened to the latter cry again and slowly shook his head. _Naruto…_

Suddenly, he felt a hand on his shoulder and froze.

"It hurts…doesn't it?"

The raven paused for a minute, then turned his head to see a tall, bronze-haired man dressed in white—the same one from before, except for the sorrowful expression on his face…

But at that moment, the Uchiha could only stare back at the bronze with hurt in his eyes.

The angel's eyes softened. "I know how it feels. Not being able to comfort the one you love most when they're hurt…" He raised his head to look at Naruto and winced. "Nobody's perfect, after all. I felt the same way…when I lost my younger brother."

In that instant, Sasuke froze and looked at the green-eyed man, his eyes filled with sadness.

The latter let out a sigh. "Back then, I was the one who was supposed to take care of him when our parents died and we were left with nothing…" He closed his eyes and slowly shook his head. "I mean, I was able to at least find shelter for him in some alley and give him food scraps from the garbage can to eat every day…but in the end, I failed him anyway."

The raven frowned.

The bronze went on. "All that we had that time…I should have been satisfied with it, but I wasn't. I was stupid back then. Stupid enough not to see what God had planned for the two of us…how much love my brother had for me…to sink deep into the world of gambling and alcohol, thinking it would make everything better, that the pain would go away…" He sighed. "And so, I paid the price for it in the end when I finally became sick of pneumonia one day and ultimately lost my life because we had no money for medicine. But worst of all…" His voice faltered. "I couldn't care for my brother anymore, and I couldn't be there for him when he needed me. I let him down at the very end…"

The latter shook his head again, then looked at the Uchiha. "I wasn't given a second chance like you. Instead, God had already given me a job as a messenger—to help lost souls like you and me, who weren't able to finish their missions in life, and to regain their chances of getting their own wings so that they would be able to fly up to heaven." His eyes became dull. "Since then, I had never regained my own wings. And to this day, I still wait for God to give me another chance to help my beloved brother and apologize to him—to at least see him again, if not more."

Sasuke's eyes softened.

The green-eyed man exhaled sharply. "That's how I knew how to help you deal with your situation in the first place, even when I couldn't help my own loved one myself..."

The raven winced, then turned to look at the blonde, who was now on his knees, burying his face in his hands.

Naruto sobbed. "I miss you so much, Sasuke…" He sniffled, then looked up at the night sky. "Damn it, I know how you used to argue with me all the time about airplanes up there not being shooting stars…but you know what?" His voice wavered.

The Uchiha's face tightened.

The blonde exhaled sharply and wiped his tears with his wrist. "I know it's really stupid, but sometimes…sometimes I wish that they actually were shooting stars, so that I could have wished that I should have died in that accident instead of you…so that none of this crap would have ever happened..." He let out another sob and buried his face in his hands.

Sasuke's eyes softened with pain, and he turned towards the bronze when he put his hand on his shoulder.

The angel winced. "God gave you a second chance for a reason. Don't let yourself throw all that away."

The Uchiha frowned, then turned to look back at his broken best friend.

~o~

After a while, Naruto had been able to compose himself, and slowly stood up from the tall grass. His cheeks were stained with dried-up tears and his eyes were bloodshot.

The raven watched after him with sad eyes. Then suddenly, he noticed a white light appear from behind. In that instant, the Uchiha turned around and saw the green-eyed angel standing in front of it, facing its brightness. And it looked as if he were to walk through when Sasuke had opened his mouth to speak again.

"Where are you going?"

The bronze froze, then spoke in a low tone. "More souls are waiting in the dimension of light. They need me—I have to help them. I'll try to come back as soon as I can." He paused, then began to step into the light.

But then the raven spoke again. "Wait."

The latter stopped.

Then the Uchiha continued. "Hn. I forgot to say thanks."

The angel didn't look back. "Don't mention it."

Sasuke nodded once. But then he paused for a second, searching for words. That was when he spoke in a soft tone, little Adrian in his thoughts.

"Hey…_Tony?_"

In that instant, the bronze stiffened.

The raven paused again. "I know that you'll get your second chance, too. Don't stop waiting for it just yet."

The green-eyed man was silent for a long moment. "…thank you," he replied unwaveringly. But before stepping forward into the white light and disappearing before the Uchiha's eyes, he briefly turned his head towards the latter with a serious expression on his face. "But wait. I almost forgot to tell you another thing."

Sasuke listened patiently.

Anthony lowered his eyes for a second, then spoke in a solemn voice. "Be sure to manage your time here efficiently. God may have given you a second chance…but it won't last forever. Remember that, for you won't know when he'll come to take you back to the dimension of light."

The raven's eyes widened. "Tony…"

But before he could reply, the angel had already faded into the light.

~o~

Later on, Naruto and Sasuke were in the same situation again—what with the two of them being silent as mice as they absent-mindedly walked next to each other with somber, indifferent expressions on their faces.

And the raven would never forget what he'd heard from the blonde earlier in the graveyard…as well as Anthony's warning. He winced.

How much time did he have left before he would have to leave his best friend again? After all, he hadn't been able to say a word to him recently…

Finally, the two came to a stop in front of Naruto's apartment door and didn't move a muscle for more than a minute.

At that moment, the Uchiha stiffened and looked up, wondering why his best friend hadn't already opened the door. But that was when he saw a sign taped to the faded, brick-red door that said in big letters:

**RENT LONG OVERDUE**

Sasuke's eyes widened, and he turned to face the latter, who now had a grim expression on his face. The blonde hesitated for a moment, then raised his arm to turn the doorknob.

Unfortunately, it was indeed, locked.

Suddenly, the two men heard footsteps coming up the stairway nearby.

Naruto paused, then turned to see a chubby brunette with swirls on either of his cheeks walking towards him with papers and keys in his hand.

The raven froze. _Is that the landlord?_

The brunette paused and stopped in front of the blonde with a solemn countenance. "Hey, Naruto."

At that moment, the latter opened his mouth to speak. "Choji—what the hell's going on here? How come you locked me out of my own room?"

The chubby man was silent. Then he spoke in a quiet voice. "Sorry, Naruto, but your rent's been overdue for over a month now."

In that instant, the blonde's eyes became dull as he remembered what Sakura had told him earlier that day—how pissed she'd been when he'd lost his job because she needed help paying off their rent…

The blue-eyed man paused, then spoke in a soft tone. "Can't I extend it a little bit longer? I just lost my job, and to pay it all off…"

Choji frowned. "Sorry, Naruto, but I can't this time. My dad's been freaking out about this from the very beginning…"

The blonde merely nodded once with tired eyes. "I understand."

The chubby brunette's eyes softened. "I'll give you extra time to get all your stuff together."

Naruto was silent.

Choji turned and unlocked the door, opening it for the latter.

"I'm really sorry."

~o~

Sasuke's face was solemn as he followed his best friend through the streets as it now snowed, the latter's hands full with suitcases. He turned to see that the blonde's face was somber again.

The raven winced. Where was he going now?

That was when the latter mumbled to himself. "Maybe Kiba'll let me bunk in for the night…" He sighed as he passed a familiar alley covered in snow.

Then suddenly, he stopped when he immediately recognized the alley and stiffened. His eyes softened as he thought of the little bronze again and pursed his lips.

_Maybe it wouldn't hurt if I brought the kid along with me. He's probably freezing in there, anyway…_

Naruto paused, then turned around and walked back to the alley.

"Adrian?" he called in a calm voice, looking around the snow.

But there was no answer.

_Must be asleep, _the blonde thought to himself. He placed his suitcases on the ground, then walked into the alley to search for the young bronze.

Naruto shivered and rubbed his arms. _Damn, it's so frickin' cold out here… _He looked up and whistled. "Adrian! You there, little guy?"

There was still no response.

The blonde whistled again and continued to search, his eyes darting around in different directions.

Sasuke looked around for the green-eyed boy as well, finding nothing but snow. At that moment, he began to have second thoughts.

_Something's not right here…_

That was when Naruto abruptly stopped in his tracks and held his breath.

The raven paused and turned to look at the blonde, whose face was now rigid. Then he shifted his eyes in the direction of where the latter's gaze was focused on in that instant.

And what he saw made his eyes widen.

Nailed to the wall above one of the garbage cans in front of the two…was a small piece of paper with spatters of blood all over it.

Naruto gulped and slowly shifted his feet to approach the notice, holding it gingerly in his hands as he tore it off the wall.

Almost immediately, the latter stiffened when he saw that there were also words on the piece of paper…written in blood. And it was nothing more but this one sentence:

_**We're not done yet.**_

At that moment, the Uchiha's face became rigid as he looked over the blonde's shoulder, seeing the message written on the notice. But what made him almost shudder was what was taped to the very bottom of the note: a dead firefly, wrapped in what looked like a blood-stained piece of Adrian's clothing…

In an instant, Naruto realized what had happened to the young bronze as he remembered what the thug had yelled at him the other afternoon…

"_I'll get you, punk! We're not finished yet! And next time, you won't get off so easy!"_

The blonde swallowed and clenched the piece of paper in his hand.

Sasuke paused, then looked at the latter with soft eyes. _Naruto, wait…_

But before he could open his mouth to try to speak to his best friend, the blonde had already dropped the note in the snow and sprinted out of the alley towards the only place he knew where the thug could have taken Adrian.

The raven's eyes widened as he began to chase after the blue-eyed man. "Wait! Naruto!"

He growled as the latter disappeared from sight. _That dobe, he doesn't know what he's getting himself into…_

The Uchiha let out a sigh and was about to take a step out of the alley when suddenly a white light appeared from behind him.

Immediately, he whirled around to face the light anxiously, hoping that it wasn't who he thought it was. "Anthony?" Sasuke called uneasily.

However, when he finally turned around, he saw no bronze-haired angel standing in the midst of the light…but a cross at the very middle.

Then an almighty voice spoke. "Greetings, Sasuke."

At that moment, the raven's eyes widened. _No…this can't be…_

~o~

Naruto was panting as he ran along the promenade by the Hudson River, the moon high in the sky.

"Adrian!" the blonde called apprehensively.

But there was still no response from the young bronze.

Naruto growled and began to run even faster towards the very end of the path.

_Damn it… _he thought to himself.

Then suddenly, something made the blue-eyed man stop in his tracks and hold his breath.

There, out on the bench that held many of the blonde's dearest memories, was the green-eyed boy himself, tied up and his mouth taped shut. But what made the latter's heart rend were the deep cuts and bruises all over the unconscious bronze's face and arms…

Immediately, Naruto rushed over to young Adrian and knelt down beside him, his eyes sad.

"Adrian…" he spoke in a soft tone, stroking the boy's face gingerly.

But suddenly, he heard a rustle from the bushes and stiffened.

Then a man instantly emerged from the bushes, rushing towards the blonde with all his might as if to attack him.

"You're mine, punk!" he yelled as he raised his fists.

Naruto froze as he recognized the sprinting thug. But he wouldn't be surprised that easily.

At that moment, the blonde grabbed the thug's wrists and threw him backwards, sending the man flying to the ground. He groaned in pain as he hit his head on the cement.

The blue-eyed man exhaled sharply, then looked around cautiously for any others.

That was when he noticed little Adrian stir on the bench, his green eyes slightly opening.

In an instant, Naruto was at the young bronze's side and held him close. "You all right, little buddy?"

Adrian blinked dazedly, then raised his head to look up at the latter. But suddenly, his eyes widened and the little bronze began to cry out worriedly at the blonde from behind the tape on his mouth.

"Mmmfh!" he cried as dark silhouettes began to approach his friend.

And from behind, he also noticed a devilish grin appear on the thug's face as he began to stand up behind the hostile shadows creeping towards the blue-eyed man.

Unfortunately, Naruto was oblivious to what was going on at that moment and merely looked at the latter with a confused expression on his face.

"Huh? What is it, Adrian? What's wrong?"

But before the little bronze could cry out again, the blonde had already been knocked to the ground.

~o~

**Notes from the KIT-chan~**

The next chapter will be the turning point of this story, so it _will _be interesting. O_O

What will happen to Naruto and Sasuke? TT_TT

Stay tuned for the next chapter. O.O And please REVIEW! ^^"

.:;.*~Kitsune~*.::.


	7. Chapter 7: Fate

**I'm Sorry**

_**Chapter 7: Fate**_

_FAQ's usually sent to the President of the United States. Pshh—uh-huh, yeah. Right. More like the Queen of Spacing Out…and MOCHI! ^_^_

_**Mine? **_Of course not. Don't own Naruto. *Raises hands up innocently* This is only a story written by some poor, obsessed yaoi fangirl who literally enjoys spacing out and drifting away to the farthest, darkest corner of the universe (because it has cookies XD).

_**Warnings? **_YAOI, OOC, fluffiness, and tear-shedding, heartrending moments… TwT (I'm such a sap. XD)

_**Who? **_Pshh—Beavis and Butthead. O_O …of course not. XD Sasuke and Naruto, duh! =^w^=

_**Why? **_Because I want to, so there! XD And this plot bunny's been bugging me for a while now… ^^"

**Notes from the KIT-chan~**

The biggest turning point of the story. O.O Be warned again for some tear-shedding moments… TT_TT

Enjoy. ^~^";

.::.*~Kitsune~*.::.

~o~

Naruto cried out in pain as a burly man kicked him in the stomach. Then he looked up to see more sinister figures skulking towards him with menacing looks on their faces.

"Naru!" Adrian cried in a muffled tone from the bench. Suddenly, the thug grabbed the top of the little bronze's head and yanked his hair.

In response, the green-eyed boy squealed.

"Leave him alone!" the blonde growled, his eyes intent. But then another man immediately stomped on his back.

"Gah!" the blue-eyed man cried out. He groaned, then looked back at the thug with weary eyes.

At that moment, the thug chuckled impishly. "Not so tough now, are ya?" He cackled and yanked the little bronze's head again.

Young Adrian whimpered, staring back at poor Naruto with sad eyes.

The blonde winced and exhaled sharply. "Like hell you're gonna get away with this."

But in response, the thug merely laughed sardonically at the latter, raising his head up at the sky. Then, he looked at the blue-eyed man again with sarcasm in his eyes.

"Heh, And what makes you think you can do anything about it?"

In that instant, Naruto looked up to see that the thug's henchmen were now hovering over him with cruel smiles on their faces.

The thug chuckled darkly. "You're finished."

At that moment, the blonde stiffened with wide eyes, sweat drops rolling down the back of his neck.

He gulped as the moonlight slowly began to disappear above him, being only replaced with the darkness of his assailants' shadows.

~o~

Sasuke stood there silently with wide eyes after he'd heard the almighty voice speak. And at that moment, he could tell immediately who it was.

The raven swallowed, then opened his mouth to speak towards the cross in the white light in a wary tone.

"What do you want from me now? Haven't you put me through enough?"

But the only response that was given had been nothing but pure silence.

The Uchiha hesitated for a moment, then spoke again uneasily.

"Are you here to take me away? Answer me already."

No reply.

In that instant, the Uchiha understood and closed his eyes, remembering Anthony's last words to him.

"_God may have given you a second chance…but it won't last forever. Remember that, for you won't know when he'll come to take you back to the dimension of light."_

At that moment, Sasuke thought of Naruto.

How sorrow and indifference had replaced that confident, happy-go-lucky grin on his face…the immense trouble he'd gone through after losing his loved ones before his very eyes…how emotionally _hurt_ and brokenhearted he'd been in the cemetery…

And to _think _of leaving him alone now…was absolutely out of the question. Even if the raven couldn't touch or talk to his own best friend…he still needed _him._

The same with the little bronze who at this very moment may as well be in harm's way…

But as the Uchiha slowly surfaced from his train of thought, the light before him had continued to greet him with complete and utter silence.

The raven paused and let out a sigh. Then he opened his mouth to speak in an unwavering tone. "I'm sorry, but I can't come with you right now."

No response.

But Sasuke only continued without hesitation. He opened his eyes to look at the light with an intent expression on his face.

"My friend is still in pain, and he needs help." He closed his eyes and hung his head. Then he spoke in a hushed tone. "I know that all this time I've screwed everything up between me and him, and that I haven't been able to help him much lately. But despite all that, I need to ask you for another chance, even though I can't do anything for him now."

The raven turned away. "I know it's a lot to ask for…but I can't leave him just yet." His voice faltered and he lowered his head. "He still needs me. Even though I won't be able to help him…_I_ still need _him_."

He clenched his teeth and exhaled sharply. "I'm sorry."

In that instant, the Uchiha ran headlong into the streets, not looking back even once at the cross in the white light.

_Naruto…_

~o~

At this point, the poor blonde's body was literally broken. He now lay in the snow with a grim expression on his face.

The thug smirked, almost satisfied with himself…but not just yet. He chuckled sinisterly, then turned to his henchmen.

"Hold him up so I can rub it all in his face."

The assailants nodded, and two of the burly men approached Naruto, roughly holding him up by the shoulders.

The blue-eyed man groaned softly.

The thug grinned haughtily, stepping right in front of the broken blonde. "It hurts, doesn't it?" he gibed.

Naruto stirred and weakly raised his head up to look at the thug with sad, dull eyes.

At that moment, the thug chuckled sinisterly, crossing his arms. "Told you I wasn't gonna let you off that easy." He scoffed. "Who knew you were such a wimp?"

In that instant, the blonde spat at the thug and coldly glared at him. "Who knew you were such a fuckin' coward? Hiding behind your little friends here…you couldn't even take me out yourself."

The thug shrank back and narrowed his eyes at Naruto. Then he grabbed the latter's shirt collar and raised his fist, his teeth clenched. "Why, you—"

"That's enough, Paul," another voice spoke.

At that moment, the thug froze, then slowly let go of the blonde and lowered his fist.

The blue-eyed man relaxed and turned to look in front of him.

A tall, brown-haired man in a business suit with a thin mustache on his face emerged from the crowd of assailants. "Have you done your part to bring them here to me?"

Paul frowned sheepishly and merely nodded once. "Yes, boss."

The brunette paused for a moment, glancing at Naruto. Then he looked around with a stern countenance. "_Both _of them?"

In that instant, another man emerged from the crowd with a terrified, tied-up Adrian in hand, removing the duct tape over his mouth.

The blonde stiffened. What was _really _going on here?

At that moment, the brown-haired man smirked. "Excellent." He sighed and glanced at the blue-eyed man again, then turned away with a sinister countenance.

"Carry on," he spoke lightly, raising his hand.

And Paul was about to punch Naruto in the face when the blonde opened his mouth to speak.

"Wait just a minute!" he shouted, his eyes filled with anger.

This made the brunette stop abruptly in his tracks.

The blonde clenched his teeth, glaring at the man. "Just who the hell are you!"

But suddenly, the mustached man whirled around and rushed towards the latter, punching him across the face.

In an instant, the brunette grabbed the blue-eyed man's face with one hand, yanking him close.

He sneered at the latter. "You have no right to speak to me like that, young man." He licked his lips and smirked.

~o~

Sasuke ran as fast as he could through the snow, breathing heavily.

_Damn it, I hope I'm not too late here…_

He exhaled sharply, then closed his eyes, thinking of the thug as the promenade gradually began to appear in the distance.

~o~

The brown-haired man scoffed, then roughly let go of the blonde's face.

He stepped back slightly to light a cigar from his pocket. "Interesting." The brunette inhaled deeply and blew out a puff of smoke. "Heh." He looked up at Naruto with scornful eyes. "What's wrong, little Naru? Don't you remember me?" The mustached man laughed sardonically.

But the latter only swallowed and stared back with confused but wary eyes.

When all of a sudden, the brunette's laughter stopped and before the blonde knew it, he'd been punched in the ribs.

Naruto cried out and coughed blood, falling down to his knees.

The brown-haired man chuckled darkly as he looked down upon the latter, pulling his fist back. "Well?"

No response.

Then he frowned with a disdained countenance. "Hmph."

The blonde's eyes were wide with disbelief and fear. When he raised his head to look up at the man, he'd been punched across the face and fell face-down on the ground. He cried out again when the brunette had kicked the back of his head, and he winced.

The mustached man cackled sinisterly.

Adrian whimpered as he watched the blue-eyed man suffering before his very eyes.

Naruto shifted over and moaned softly.

And at that moment, the brunette smirked, raising his leg to stomp on the latter when suddenly the little bronze opened his mouth to speak.

"Stop it, Uncle!" the green-eyed boy screamed, his eyes filled with rage and fear.

In that instant, both the blonde and brown-haired man froze, glancing back at young Adrian.

Tears began to well up under his puppy-dog eyes. "No more…" he muttered softly.

~o~

The snow was still falling, and the raven had now reached the promenade. He looked to his left, seeing as the Hudson River was now black as night but not quite frozen, and then he turned to face forward to search for Naruto and Adrian.

At first, the Uchiha could see nothing but snow and darkness.

But that was when he'd heard a small scream. And the voice was definitely familiar.

"Stop it, Uncle!"

The raven stiffened. In that instant, he sprinted headlong into the promenade until he finally reached a point where he could see silhouettes of large, gangly men huddled over in some form of mob or circle.

And he grimaced when he noticed a familiar bench sitting just behind them.

_Don't tell me…_

At that moment, Sasuke quietly began to approach the shadows before him, and peered over the men's shoulders, only to see that it was, indeed, Adrian who had cried out.

The little bronze was bound with rope and held captive by a burly man with hairy forearms. And for some reason…the raven noticed that the green-eyed boy was crying.

"No more…" young Adrian had mumbled.

In that instant, the Uchiha turned in the same direction as the bronze's gaze, his face already becoming rigid.

And there he saw his best friend, broken and bleeding on the snow with sad eyes.

Sasuke's eyes widened as he saw the deep cuts and purple bruises all over the latter's face.

_Dobe…_

Then he slightly shifted his eyes past the blonde and the hostile, shadowy figures surrounding him, until his gaze finally focused on a particular tall, brown-haired businessman smoking some cigar.

And stepping on his best friend.

The raven clenched his fists and immediately his gaze turned into an icy glare.

But suddenly, Naruto opened his mouth and managed to speak in a soft but weak tone.

"You…you're Adrian's uncle?"

At that moment, the Uchiha's eyes widened at the latter's comment and he turned to look at the broken blonde. _What?_

However, instead of giving the blue-eyed man a straight answer, the brunette merely kicked him in the ribs again, which were probably now broken.

Naruto hissed in pain and bit his lip.

Sasuke stiffened in horror as he watched the blonde suffer before him. Then, he narrowed his eyes at the brown-haired man.

The mustached man scoffed with a smirk, then walked back over to the little bronze, who now had a terrified expression on his face. And in that instant, the brunette grabbed the top of young Adrian's head and yanked it up by his hair so that the boy was facing the blue-eyed man.

The green-eyed boy whimpered.

Both Naruto and the Uchiha stiffened where they were.

At that moment, the brown-haired man chuckled once and grinned impishly. "Of course I'm his uncle, you nitwit." Then his grin faded into a dangerous scowl. "Viktor Ambrose—former owner of what was once Ambrose, Inc., one of the most prestigious companies in Manhattan…until _your _repulsive family came along."

The blonde's eyes filled with confusion. "What do you mean by that?"

In that instant, Viktor's eyebrows rose in incredulity. "Oh? Doesn't it ring a bell to you…_yet?"_

The blue-eyed man only stared back with a perplexed countenance. And even the raven couldn't understand what the brunette was getting at.

But suddenly, Viktor Ambrose let go of Adrian and approached Naruto with a sarcastic look on his face. "Oh, wait—that's right. You don't have a _clue _of what happened because you weren't even in your daddy's office when his company _ruined _my life!" His voice rose in anger.

The blonde frowned at the brunette.

At that moment, Viktor smiled scornfully. "But don't you worry your damn head—I don't mind giving you a little…_refresher of the mind._"

Both Sasuke and Naruto listened with grim expressions on their faces.

The brunette chuckled sardonically and folded his hands together, cigar still hanging from his mouth. "Well, then—where to start?" He took another long drag, then took the cigar out of his mouth, looking up at the sky. "Ah, yes—here we are." He blew out a puff of smoke and continued.

"Back in the days where your father's business didn't even exist yet, two other companies had literally dominated the economy of New York." Viktor chuckled once, closing his eyes. "_My _company, Ambrose, Inc., and…" He frowned, then whirled around to point at young Adrian. "What was once _his _father's—aka my _younger_ _brother's_—business, King Co."

The blonde's eyes widened.

The mustached man smirked. "Yes…back then, little Edward and I would even work together at times between our companies as if they were mutual. I gave him what he wanted and helped him out as needed, while he gave me what I wanted and helped _me _out as needed." He exhaled sharply. "A lot of compromises back in the good old days when _we _used to rule the economy."

Suddenly, Viktor was silent and grimaced at Naruto. "But that wasn't until Namikaze Industries came along and ruined the relationship between me and my brother." He sighed. "When your father's business had come to Manhattan, Ambrose, Inc. and King Co. were outdone in just days… And after a while, it was too much to handle for either of us—too much to even think of a solution on how to surpass Namikaze Industries. Each day that passed, we began to lose more business and feared that both our corporations would close down in the end."

The brunette closed his eyes and shook his head. "But one day, I happened to come up with an idea." He opened his eyes. "Back then, I had figured that it would be best for Ambrose, Inc. and King Co. to merge together into one big business, so great that even your father's industry wouldn't even stand a chance. And it was the only solution I could think of to save both our businesses. Even Edward had agreed firsthand."

Suddenly, Viktor frowned and faced the blonde with an icy glare. "But all that changed when your father decided to come along and ruin my plan."

The blue-eyed man was silent.

The brunette clenched his teeth. "When he decided to steal my brother's companionship away from me by offering to merge with _his _company instead!" He exhaled sharply. "And of course, Edward agreed, leaving me alone in the dust while my business continued to fall apart!"

Naruto tilted his head in confusion. "Why didn't you have your company join in, too? My father would have said yes without a problem."

Viktor growled. "Shut up, because that's exactly what little Edward told me to do!" He slapped his head on his forehead and sighed. "'_If you can't beat them, join them,'_ that's what he said. But no…" he spoke in a mocking tone and looked at the blonde. The brunette cleared his throat. "But somehow in the end, I ended up considering the very idea and one night I approached the front desk of Namikaze Industries myself, asking for unity. And what did I get?"

The mustached man snarled and clenched his fists. "I get some asshole named Uchiha, claiming to be your father's right-hand man, walk up to me and refuse right in my face, throwing me out the door and making fun of my mustache! _'Go to the pizza parlor,' _that bastard told me."

At that moment, Sasuke stiffened. Without a doubt, that was his father. And at the same time, he remembered one morning when he had brought the event up at the breakfast table… The raven had actually laughed lightly that time… He frowned.

Viktor exhaled sharply. "After that, I never went back in there again. Instead, I ended up taking out all my anger on my brother in his own home and killed him and his wife Elizabeth in the process…" He slowly shook his head. "And then I became afraid of what would happen if anyone else would see, so in the end, I somehow brought myself to have the house burnt down by my associates…although I was still furious at Edward for abandoning me _and _your father for ruining everything. But what I didn't expect was Edward's children being still alive on the streets. And little did I know that one of them would die of pneumonia."

At that moment, Adrian's eyes widened and he bit his lip, struggling to hold back upset tears. "You bad man!" the little bronze screamed. "You killed Mommy and Daddy! _And _you knew that Big Brother was sick!"

Immediately, the brunette whirled around and roared. "Shut up!"

Naruto and Sasuke frowned disdainfully. _The bastard…_

Viktor growled, then glared at the blonde, pointing a finger at him. "It's your father's fault that I lost my company and my brother! He _ruined _my life!" He exhaled sharply. "But that didn't keep me from ruining yours…and your family's, especially when I learned about your 'relocation' to California."

In an instant, the blue-eyed man stiffened and held his breath. "What do you mean?"

At that moment, the brunette grinned devilishly at Naruto, whose face was now rigid. Then he lowered himself down to the blonde's level and chuckled darkly. "It was Uchiha's son riding with you in that car that night, now wasn't it?"

This time the raven held his breath.

Viktor pursed his lips. "Heh. But of course you two weren't the only ones I aimed for."

The blonde's eyes widened.

~xXx~

_Beep!_

"_SASUKE!"_

_Crash._

~xXx~

Naruto groaned in pain as he slowly opened his eyes to see what had just happened. But at the moment, his body was numb and his sight was blurry. And he could tell that somewhere at the back of his head, he was bleeding.

The blonde exhaled sharply and struggled to raise his head and look around at his surroundings. And he stiffened when he saw that the car was a complete wreck, the windows shattered and the whole vehicle crumpled up.

The blue-eyed teenager winced. _"Help!"_ he cried out desperately, hoping that someone would hear him.

But there had been no answer.

However, something did make him hold his breath in an instant.

There, head lying motionlessly on his lap, was a raven not much older than he was. He was unconscious and severely bleeding, but what surprised the blonde was that the latter's arms were still wrapped around his waist protectively.

"_Teme…"_ Naruto managed to utter softly, his face rigid. His eyes softened, and he reached down to touch the Uchiha gingerly, then shook him slightly to wake him up.

"_Sasuke,"_ the blonde mumbled calmly.

No response.

The blue-eyed teenager swallowed, then turned to see that the raven's legs were hopelessly stuck underneath the dashboard and that he had lost a large amount of blood, especially with the pieces of glass that had stuck to his back. He held his breath, then muttered the Uchiha's name again, shaking his shoulder.

"_Sasuke. Wake up."_

Silence.

The blonde struggled to hold back a sob. He paused, then desperately shook the latter's shoulder again.

"_Sasuke…"_

It had been like that for a while, but the raven had been yet to wake up at any moment whatsoever, for his condition was, indeed, fatal.

Naruto sniffled and leaned back on his seat dejectedly, staring aimlessly at the broken windshield as rain began to pour down.

And when he had been about to lose consciousness, he had thought he'd seen red and blue lights flashing in the distance…

~xXx~

The blonde swallowed, sweat drops rolling down the back of his neck. "You…"

The brown-haired man smirked. "_Yes._"

Naruto's eyes widened.

~xXx~

_Beep. Beep. Beep, _the monitor had sounded in the hospital room.

The blonde raised his head from his pillow to look at the raven lying unconscious on the other bed at the other side of the room. Bandages were wrapped all over him and his eyes were closed shut.

Naruto's eyes softened. _Sasuke…_

Suddenly, the door opened, and a nurse dressed in white walked in with a phone in her hand. But for some reason, her face was grim.

"_Mr. Uzumaki?"_

The blonde looked back at the nurse and nodded once. _"Yeah?"_

The woman paused, then handed the phone to Naruto. _"You have a call."_

The latter raised an eyebrow and took the phone in his hand. In an instant, the nurse left the room.

Naruto stared at the phone in confusion, then put it to his ear and spoke. _"Hello?"_

"_Naruto."_

At that moment, the blonde recognized the voice immediately. _"Mr. Iruka?" _But his voice was dripping with anxiety. _"What's up?"_

There was a pause. _"Are you and Sasuke all right?"_

Naruto was silent for a moment. Then he spoke in a low voice. _"We got into a little car accident, but we're both okay here in the hospital." _He paused, the shifted his eyes towards Sasuke, who was still unconscious.

Another long pause. _"All right, then. Can I talk to Sasuke for a minute?"_

The blonde was silent again, but his face was solemn. _"He's still asleep. …wait—why?"_

No response.

"_Mr. Iruka?"_

There was a sigh. _"Naruto, there's something you have to know." _This time, the voice was serious.

At that moment, the blue-eyed teenager stiffened in response. _"What? What is it?" _he croaked.

There was a long pause. _"There was an accident just this morning."_

The blonde raised an eyebrow in confusion. _"Huh? But that's us here! We're the ones who were in that accident!" _Again, he couldn't help but glance at the Uchiha.

Iruka exhaled sharply on the other line. _"No, Naruto—there was another one that happened a few hours after that. Just recently." _Another pause. _"Are your parents still there with you?"_

The latter was silent for a moment. _"No…they left a while ago."_

"_Where?"_

Naruto hesitated for a minute. _"To the airport. They decided it would be best if I just stayed here with Sasuke while they left for California."_

No response.

"…_Mr. Iruka?"_

Silence.

Then he thought he'd heard the latter hold his breath before he spoke again with pain in his tone.

"_The accident that happened this morning…was a plane crash. And it just so happened that that particular plane that crashed…had been on its way to California. There weren't any survivors." _His voice faltered.

In that instant, the blonde's face became rigid.

There was a sigh on the other line. _"Naruto…it turns out your parents were in that accident."_

The latter's eyes widened.

There was a long pause. _"I'm so sorry."_

No response.

"_Naruto…"_

"_I'll be okay," _the blonde cut in with a soft tone. Then after a while, he hung up.

Naruto took a deep breath and laid back on his pillow, pain and sorrow filling his ocean blue eyes.

_Mom…Dad…_

He held back a sob, tears welling up under his eyes, and turned to look at the raven that still lay unconscious at that moment.

But as the blonde's eyes met the latter's face, Sasuke Uchiha's monitors had blared to life…with flatline.

~xXx~

At that moment, the raven's face was rigid with horror. He swallowed, then turned to look at the blonde, whose face was also rigid and eyes pained. And tears slowly made their way down his whiskered cheeks.

But Viktor only cackled evilly. "It was only a twist of fate that my associates had just been right on time on both occasions. The only thing I didn't expect was that wretched Uchiha shielding you from the same fate he faced himself."

Naruto's face twisted up in deep, emotional hurt. He clenched his fists. "You asshole…"

The brunette smirked.

In that instant, the blonde's eyes became intent with rage and sadness. "You took _everything _away from me that day!"

At that moment, Viktor frowned. "Not quite. And it's only fair that I put you all through the same pain I did when _I _lost everything myself."

Naruto bit his lip and lowered his face to the ground, clawing at the snow.

The mustached man grinned impishly in response. "That's right—feel the _loss._"

The blonde let out a strangled sob. "Fuck you…"

Viktor only cackled again. "Yes, and I'm still not finished with you yet."

The blue-eyed man froze.

The brunette chuckled darkly. "You all ruined my life back then, and now I'm going to ruin yours up to the very end. _Both _of you." He turned to look at the little bronze.

At that moment, Naruto looked up at the latter with an intent glare.

Adrian gulped.

But suddenly, Viktor whirled around to face the blonde again with a sinister smile. "And guess who I'm starting with."

In that instant, the shadowy figures surrounding the latter began to close in around him, while another group went after the little bronze.

Both let out a cry.

_Shit, _the Uchiha thought to himself as he stood in the distance, his eyes darting from left to right.

What the hell could he do, now that his friends were now in grave danger?

"Help me!" Adrian screamed.

Sasuke exhaled sharply. _I can't frickin' do anything because of this 'guardian angel' crap…_

Suddenly, a cry of pain could be heard from where Naruto had last been seen.

The raven closed his eyes and hung his head. _Damn it—what the hell am I supposed to do?_

He growled in frustration, and in the process, ended up slamming his hand against a nearby tree. But that didn't matter anyway, because it would just fade through as it did before.

However…this time, that wasn't the case.

Sasuke's eyes immediately flipped open when he instantly heard cries of complaint near where he was standing. He paused, then looked up to see that some of the assailants near Adrian were now covered with snow.

At that moment, the Uchiha raised an eyebrow. _What the… _He glanced over them to see that there had been a branch from the same tree above, specks of snow still falling off of it. Then the raven shifted his eyes towards his hand, which was still on the tree trunk. And he pushed again as hard as he could, only to see that this time, it didn't fade through.

Sasuke shrank back in astonishment and looked at his hand with wide eyes. _But how?_

Suddenly, he remembered just _who_ he'd seen right before he came here.

_Him…_

The raven paused, then walked near the crowd of thugs in an instant and reached forward.

If he could touch inanimate objects now…

The thug in front of him immediately turned around when he felt a hand on his shoulder. And his eyes widened in an instant.

"Hey—you're the one that Boss killed…"

The Uchiha frowned and merely shoved him out of the way. Then he turned forward to see that other thugs were now looking at him as if they'd just seen a ghost.

"Where'd he come from?"

"I thought he was dead!"

"It can't be…"

Sasuke grimaced. _So. The morons can see me now…_

He shrugged once, then shifted his gaze from left to right until he focused on the young bronze being tortured at the moment.

"Let me go!" Adrian cried.

At that moment, the raven glanced over to where his best friend was and winced.

If he knew Naruto, it's that he wouldn't go down that easily…so he probably would be able to hold up a little longer. Plus, something told him that if he didn't save the kid first, the blonde would be _really _pissed at him…

The Uchiha sighed, looking back to his right.

And he was about to push away the thug in front of him when suddenly…

"It's over, kid! It all ends here!"

In that instant, Sasuke whirled around, and immediately his eyes widened.

Just near the edge of the Hudson River, there stood Viktor Ambrose with a triumphant grin n his face. But what made the raven stiffen was the switchblade the man was holding in his hand, raised up to the sky.

And as the Uchiha shifted his eyes towards where the brunette was looking, he held his breath. There lay his best friend in the snow, broken and helpless…

Without question, Sasuke began sprinting through the crowd of thugs on his left, fighting his way through.

_Naruto…_

Viktor cackled evilly, the blade glistening under the moonlight.

The blonde moaned softly, and rolled over on his back to look up at the brunette with sad eyes.

_Damn it! _the raven thought to himself.

The brunette smirked sinisterly. "You're finished." He frowned, then began to bring his hand down.

And Naruto instantly closed his eyes, waiting for the final blow.

But for some reason…it never came.

At that moment, the blonde froze and slowly opened his eyes. And what he saw was incredible but in a blurred vision.

Viktor now lay in the snow with a terrified expression on his face, and in front of him stood a shadowy figure that looked so familiar…

The mustached man gaped as he saw the raven standing before him. He began to blubber.

"Impossible! You're dead! You should have been killed in that accident!"

But the Uchiha only narrowed his eyes with contempt. Then he held up the switchblade that he now held in his hand. "Shut the hell up if you value your life."

However, Viktor blubbered again and only ended up fainting in the process.

Sasuke raised an eyebrow, then turned to help his broken best friend.

In that instant, he knelt down on his knees and held the blonde close on his lap. "Naruto…"

He was shivering.

At that moment, the Uchiha winced as he saw the bleeding cuts and bruises all over Naruto's body…and where he had been hit the most—those bones probably broken already…

But all the blonde could say in that instant was this—still not able to recognize the person before him.

"Help…help Adrian…"

In response, Sasuke stiffened, then turned to his right to see the crowd of thugs still moving around and yelling. But without hesitation, he nodded once to the latter and gently put him down, rushing towards the group of assailants.

The raven pushed and shoved through the crowd until he finally came across the little bronze, now unconscious but untied in the snow. Then he began to fight off the rest of the thugs and held young Adrian close.

Until suddenly, everyone froze when a loud gunshot had sounded.

In that instant, the Uchiha raised his head to look in the distance. And what he saw made his eyes widen and his mouth gape.

Out in front of the whole scene, Viktor Ambrose stood once again at the edge of the Hudson River.

…and he had a gun in his hand. But what's more…it seemed as if he was aiming for Sasuke and the little bronze in his arms.

However…he had hit something—or _someone _else.

Out in the distance, there stood Naruto Uzumaki—his chest pressed in front of the gun—and a growing stain of crimson-red at the back of his shirt…

Immediately, the raven gaped in horror as he watched the blonde collapse into the dark waters of the Hudson River.

_SPLASH._

The Uchiha held his breath, his face becoming rigid in an instant.

"DOBE!"

~o~

**Notes from the KIT-chan~**

My friends, the end is near. Find out what happens next in the upcoming and FINAL chapter of this story. O.O

Thank you for staying with me this far in the story and please REVIEW… TT_TT

Ja ne. T.T

.::.*~Kitsune~*.::.


	8. Chapter 8: Purpose

**I'm Sorry**

_**Chapter 8: Purpose**_

_FAQ's usually sent to the President of the United States. Pshh—uh-huh, yeah. Right. More like the Queen of Spacing Out…and MOCHI! ^_^_

_**Mine? **_Of course not. Don't own Naruto. *Raises hands up innocently* This is only a story written by some poor, obsessed yaoi fangirl who literally enjoys spacing out and drifting away to the farthest, darkest corner of the universe (because it has cookies XD).

_**Warnings? **_YAOI, OOC, fluffiness, and tear-shedding, heartrending moments… TwT (I'm such a sap. XD)

_**Who? **_Pshh—Beavis and Butthead. O_O …of course not. XD Sasuke and Naruto, duh! =^w^=

_**Why? **_Because I want to, so there! XD And this plot bunny's been bugging me for a while now… ^^"

**Notes from the KIT-chan~**

Never mind—the next chapter is the final one. XD But I do warn you that this one is so effin' sad that I even cried myself when I was typing all this up… TT_TT

Enjoy. ^~^";

.::.*~Kitsune~*.::.

~o~

"DOBE!"

Sasuke gaped in horror as he watched the blonde fall deep into the dark waters of the Hudson River. Then he immediately narrowed his eyes at Viktor, whose eyes were wide with disbelief, and he was still holding the gun in his hand.

The raven clenched his teeth. _Fuck… _He swallowed and looked around to see the assailants coming around to approach him yet again with hostile expressions on their faces. And he swore that he was about to stand up without question to fight these imbeciles off just so he could literally rip the mustached man's head off after he'd jumped into the river to rescue his beloved dobe.

But that was when he remembered the little bronze, still unconscious and helpless in his arms. The Uchiha stiffened. Of course he couldn't leave him all alone back here—especially with these morons…

Sasuke exhaled sharply. What the hell was he to do now? Even though he was tangible and visible at that point, he was still an angel—and no angel but the Angel of Death could _kill _or take lives for it was strongly against their nature. Plus, it would mean breaking the Sixth of the Ten Commandments, which _really _wouldn't make God all that happy—what if He decided to take back his second chance?

But before the raven could think even further, the large, muscular thugs were already coming forward for him, reaching out to either grab or try to land hits on the Uchiha. And he was literally surrounded.

The raven's eyes widened as the moonlight above him slowly began to disappear again, replaced with the darkness of his assailants.

Damn—he really had to do something…_fast. _But what?

The latter closed his eyes and held Adrian close.

_God…_

Suddenly, Sasuke heard cries above him and when he opened his eyes, it was no longer dark. In that instant, his eyes widened with awe.

_What the..._

To his surprise, the moonlight had somehow gotten a lot brighter than usual—or more so, it didn't even seem to be the moonlight anymore because it was now whiter and more powerful—so powerful it was blinding to the human eye.

Soon, the raven noticed that the thugs had scattered in different directions and began to flee, some even weeping bitterly.

"It's so bright!"

"I know!"

"Shit—I think I've gone blind!"

"Who cares—just _run, _for God—er—_goodness _sake!"

And these were the various complaints and comments the Uchiha could hear nearby as he squinted in the distance. After this, he couldn't help but roll his eyes in disdain.

_Idiots…_

That was when Sasuke's gaze focused on the brown-haired man standing at the edge of the Hudson River.

Immediately, he winced when he thought of Naruto, who probably was in desperate need of help at that moment. And he lowered his head to look at the little bronze again.

Time was ticking at that point as he imagined the poor blonde sinking into the deep depths of darkness while all he could do now was just sit there and think…

Who was he to help first already?

Suddenly, the raven heard a strong voice come through in his thoughts.

_Go. He needs you—more now than he ever has._

At the same time, a strong breeze of wind blew past the Uchiha, and in that instant, all hesitation disappeared. He turned around, noticing a tall tree not far from him, and immediately sprinted behind it to lay young Adrian down behind it, hidden from the rest of the commotion. Then, he ran headlong towards the Hudson River, anxiety in his eyes.

Sasuke swallowed, sweat beginning to roll down his neck. And as he began to pass by different thugs, he absent-mindedly shoved them away.

For all he could think of now was Naruto, wounded and helpless…

_Damn it, _the raven thought to himself. He lifted his right arm to push yet another assailant away.

Then the Uchiha ran even faster, adrenaline flowing through his body. He began to breathe heavily, his best friend still in his thoughts. The friend who he wasn't there for all this time—whose comforting, happy-go-lucky smile had long faded away…

_Damn it, _Sasuke thought again, clenching his fists and his teeth.

And at that moment, pictures of the blonde sinking into darkness began to flash in his mind.

In that instant, the raven closed his eyes painfully.

_**Damn it…**_

Suddenly, the Uchiha bumped into a tall, brown-haired man, and when he had opened his eyes, he saw Viktor Ambrose himself lying on the ground with a stunned countenance. The man who had hurt his best friend…

But the raven merely turned away from the mustached man and faced the dark depths of the river before him. He didn't have time to deal with him at that moment—more so, that scumbag wasn't even worth one damn second. Right now, he had to help Naruto.

Sasuke let out a sigh and closed his eyes, preparing to jump headlong into the water.

But that was when he heard the mustached man utter in a hushed tone. "You really did care for that boy…didn't you?"

At that moment, the raven stiffened at the comment, but didn't turn around once to glance at the brunette, now delusional and no longer in his right mind. He only stood there silently, his eyes still closed.

After a few seconds, the Uchiha spoke in an unwavering tone. "More than you could ever understand."

Dead silence.

Sasuke paused for a moment, considering what he'd just said himself and possibly what Viktor would say in response. However, there had not been another word from the brunette.

Finally, the raven shook his head and dove headfirst into the river.

~o~

As expected, it was dark underneath the surface of the Hudson River…_really _dark—and cold. In fact, it was so pitch-black that Sasuke could barely see a thing. And yet…it reminded him of the same realm of darkness he'd wandered around in before Anthony had found him and brought him into the dimension of light.

The raven swam deeper into the depths, eyes darting in different directions, searching for his blonde friend. Then he closed his eyes, picturing the latter again in his thoughts—bright smile still intact…soft laughter ringing through his ears…

_Naruto…_

At first, it almost seemed impossible for the Uchiha to find _anything _in this darkness. But somehow, after a few more moments of searching…he had brought himself to find what looked like a blot of bright yellow out in the distance—a beam of white light shining down upon it.

In that instant, Sasuke froze, then swam closer for a better look. And his eyes widened almost immediately.

_It can't be…_

Out under the beam of light, a young, blonde man floated motionlessly over the shadows, his eyes closed and body limp. And a blot of scarlet stained the cloth on his very chest…

Immediately, the raven swam towards the latter without a moment's hesitation. And when he had finally reached his best friend, he paused for a moment to gaze upon the blonde's face, caressing his whiskered, bruised cheek.

_No…_

The Uchiha winced, then gently wrapped his arms around the latter and began to swim up to the surface.

~o~

Sasuke inhaled deeply as he emerged from the surface, his best friend still unconscious in his arms. Then instantly the raven waded towards the shoreline, seeing that Viktor and every single one of his thugs had finally gone. But the powerful light was still intact in the night sky.

He panted as he reached the shallow waters of the Hudson River and stood rigidly, gazing upon the blonde with anxious eyes and holding him close.

"Naruto?"

No response.

Sasuke swallowed, his face becoming even more rigid. At that moment, Naruto's body was very different from how it had been before. Despite the deep cuts and purple bruises all over him, the face that had once been bright with confidence was now as pale as a sheet, expressionless. But what made the raven hold his breath was how cold the blonde was—as cold as ice—and there was no sign of even the slightest motion from the latter.

At that moment…it didn't look like the blonde was going to wake up anytime soon.

This made the Uchiha stiffen, his eyes wide with fear. He raised his hand and caressed the latter's face, rubbing his thumb again his cheek and desperately hoping that at some point he was going to burst out in his usual wave of laughter.

"Naruto? Come on, dobe, joke's over. Wake up already, damn it…"

Silence.

_Fuck…_ the raven thought, wincing at the pain filling his heart as he saw the fatal wound on his best friend's chest. He held his breath and slowly lowered his head down to listen for the latter's heart, hoping it was still beating, even the slightest…

In that instant, a lump had begun to form in the middle of Sasuke's throat. _No…please—not now...not __**yet…**_

That was when he heard a slight thump from Naruto's chest and heard a soft but very weak series of heartbeats.

And then…the raven's eyes widened when the latter slowly raised a hand to gently touch his pale cheek of ivory.

At that moment, the Uchiha froze and raised his head to look at the blonde, placing his hand over the tan one on his cheek.

Naruto moaned softly and stirred, slowly opening his eyes to tiredly gaze upon the raven before him.

In that instant, Sasuke held his breath and spoke in a hushed tone. "Dobe,,,"

But the blonde didn't answer. He only sighed, closing his eyes, and caressed the latter's cheek. Then he opened his eyes again and spoke softly.

"I…I remember you."

The raven listened patiently.

Naruto went on, his eyes dull. "I…dreamt of you. I was wandering through the dark…and so were you. But somehow—in the deepest part of the darkness…I found you. Then there was this bright light that just…swept everything away. And you disappeared."

At that moment, the Uchiha's eyes softened and closed. "Naruto, I…"

Suddenly, he heard a sob from the blonde. And Sasuke opened his eyes to see that tears were now streaming down Naruto's cheeks.

At the same time, the raven even thought that he would start crying himself, for the sight had been too much to bear.

The blonde sniffled and opened his mouth to speak in a hushed whisper. "Is that really you…Sasuke?"

In that instant, the Uchiha's heart went to pieces, and he took the latter's hand, holding it close to his lips. He exhaled sharply. "Yes—of course it's me, dobe. Who else would it be?" He paused, then looked back at Naruto, who now had a broken smile on his face.

Sasuke couldn't help but crack a slight smile as well in response, his heart breaking at that very moment.

Then the blonde was silent and closed his eyes, his breath wavering. "Teme, I…"

The raven winced and instantly held his best friend close to his chest. He closed his eyes and let out a sigh, caressing the latter's face. "Shh…I'm here now. Everything's all right." His voice faltered on the last few words, knowing deep inside that everything really _wasn't _all right at that point. But he had to try…

Suddenly, Naruto let out a sob and spoke in a quavering tone. "Oh, damn it, Sasuke—I'm so sorry…"

The Uchiha stiffened.

The blonde sniffled. "I'm so sorry for what happened to you…it's all my fault that you died in that accident…and I deserve right now whatever I'm gonna get for all this." He paused. "I shouldn't have hurt you like that at the last minute…I didn't want to frickin' hurt you…"

At that moment, the raven's eyes softened as he watched the latter tremble in front of him.

Naruto let out another sob. "I'm so sorry…"

Sasuke winced and held the blonde even closer, exhaling sharply. "Oh, dobe—you don't have to apologize to me for anything. It's not even your fault all this happened. If there's anyone to blame here, it's me. It's _my _fault for hurting you like this—ever since that night. I was the one…who wasn't there for you, all this time, when you needed me… Instead of getting so pissed at you, I should've taken the time to understand how you were feeling that time…"

In that instant, the latter's eyes widened and he froze to listen to his best friend's words.

He shook his head. "I was an asshole of a friend to you, so this was what I got in return. Damn it, Naruto..." The raven's voice faltered. "…_I_ should be sorry, not you. And I am…" He trailed off, lowering his head on the blonde's chest. At that moment, his eyes were filled with pain and his breath wavered. And for the first time, he actually thought he would cry himself. "Oh, dobe…" The Uchiha sniffed.

However, Naruto had not made another move since and was silent.

This made Sasuke stiffen, and he immediately raised his head to look back at his best friend. And his eyes widened when he saw the latter's face crumple with a hurt countenance.

Naruto winced and cried out in pain. "Guh…uh…" At that moment, blood began to drip down the latter's chin.

The raven's face became rigid, and he instantly pulled back to help the blonde, who was now breathing heavily.

Then the blue-eyed man let out a gasp and shivered. "So…cold…" He paused, taking a deep breath.

In that instant, the Uchiha's heart broke even more, and he immediately pulled the latter close. At the same time, Sasuke could almost be mistaken for a man being burned at the stake, for he was definitely in deep pain to see his best friend suffer like this…

_No…not him…please…_

Naruto shuddered and sucked in another gulp of air. Then he shifted his eyes towards the raven with sadness. "Sasuke…"

The Uchiha held his breath, and lowered his head closer to the blonde's face.

Naruto gulped, then exhaled sharply, speaking in a hushed whisper. "I'm not…" He closed his eyes in pain. "…I'm not gonna make it."

At that moment, Sasuke's face became rigid and his eyes widened with horror as he shifted his eyes towards the mortal wound on the latter's chest, the blot of crimson continuing to grow…

Suddenly, the blonde cried out again and hissed.

The raven swallowed. _No… _He exhaled sharply, clutching the latter's hand. And his breath wavered again.

Then the Uchiha felt a gentle squeeze on his hand and turned back to look at the blonde, his eyes dull.

"Teme…" Naruto uttered weakly.

And at that moment, the raven himself went to pieces, clutching the blonde close to his chest, burying his face on his shoulder. He sniffled. "Naruto, I…" He closed his eyes. "I'm so _sorry_ for hurting _you_…" He exhaled sharply.

Then there was a moment of silence, and the blonde had spoken in a soft tone, trying to smile. "Sasuke."

In an instant, the Uchiha stopped to listen.

Another moment of silence. "It's not your fault, either."

The raven stiffened. Then he raised his head to look at Naruto, who had a broken smile on his face.

The blonde weakly chuckled once at the latter. "If you say it's not my fault, and if I say it's not your fault, then it's no one's fault. No one can be blamed for what happened now and in the past."

At that moment, Sasuke's face became rigid, but then his eyes widened when he saw that the latter was trying to smile his happy-go-lucky grin.

"Don't be sad. That's just life now—right, teme? So that means…" The blonde's grin disappeared. He paused. "…maybe this was really meant to be."

In that instant, the raven froze. The mission he was supposed to complete…

"_God gave you a second chance for a reason."_

The Uchiha swallowed. _**No…**_

Suddenly, he felt the latter's heart skip a beat and stumble.

Immediately, Sasuke stiffened and looked back at Naruto again.

But right now…the blonde began to slowly began to fade away, his body becoming limp.

The latter exhaled, then spoke in a weak tone, his eyelids beginning to drop. "Sasuke…"

The raven held his breath, then swallowed, the lump in his throat swelling. "Naruto…"

His best friend was fading. He knew it as his heartbeat began to slow.

But that was when…the blonde used the rest of his strength to weakly press his lips against the Uchiha's. "I love you."

At that moment, Sasuke began to tremble, and he earnestly kissed the latter back, feeling dampness under his eyes.

_I know there's something in the wake of your smile._

The raven sniffled, his voice faltering. "I've always loved you, Naruto—so much…and I _need _you, too as much as you've always needed me."

He heard a sniffle from the latter, then pressed his lips against his again. "Te…me…"

_I get a notion from the look in your eyes, yeah._

But after a while…the blonde's lips became stiff and cold, and his heartbeat could no longer be heard.

The Uchiha pulled back, tears rolling down his cheeks. And he saw that Naruto's eyes were now closed and his face was pale as a sheet—lifeless.

Then…the next thing he knew…a corona of pure light surrounded the blonde's body.

"Oh, dobe…"

_You've built a love but that love falls apart._

In an instant…he disappeared into the radiance—and faded through the raven's body.

And soon…a pair of magnificent soft, feathery wings began to emerge on his back, the light disappearing.

Sasuke's eyes widened with horror. "No…" he muttered softly.

_Your little piece of heaven turns too dark.  
_

"NO!"

_Listen to your heart  
when he's calling for you.  
Listen to your heart  
there's nothing else you can do.  
I don't know where you're going  
and I don't know why,  
but listen to your heart  
before you tell him goodbye._

Sometimes you wonder if this fight is worthwhile.  
The precious moments are all lost in the tide, yeah.  
They're swept away and nothing is what is seems,  
the feeling of belonging to your dreams.

Listen to your heart  
when he's calling for you.  
Listen to your heart  
there's nothing else you can do.  
I don't know where you're going  
and I don't know why,  
but listen to your heart  
before you tell him goodbye.

And there are voices  
that want to be heard.  
So much to mention  
but you can't find the words.  
The scent of magic,  
the beauty that's been  
when love was wilder than the wind.

Listen to your heart  
when he's calling for you.  
Listen to your heart  
there's nothing else you can do.  
I don't know where you're going  
and I don't know why,  
but listen to your heart  
before you tell him goodbye.

Listen to your heart, mm-mmmmmm

I don't know where you're going  
and I don't know why,  
but listen to your heart  
before you tell him goodbye.

The Uchiha sucked in a gulp of air and buried his face in his hands. "Naruto…"

At that moment, a tear drop had fallen into the river, ripples surrounding it.

~o~

**Note from the KIT-chan~**

This is not the end. O.O Naruto may be dead as of this chapter… TT_TT But it is still not the end. O.O Prepare for a mind-boggling plot twist in the next and definitely FINAL chapter. OwO

:sniffle: Oh God, this was so sad… TT_TT

But please stay tuned. O.O And REVIEW if you wish… T_T

Ja ne~

.::.*~Kitsune~*.::.


	9. Chapter 9: Forever

**I'm Sorry**

_**Chapter 9: Forever**_

_FAQ's usually sent to the President of the United States. Pshh—uh-huh, yeah. Right. More like the Queen of Spacing Out…and MOCHI! ^_^_

_**Mine? **_Of course not. Don't own Naruto. *Raises hands up innocently* This is only a story written by some poor, obsessed yaoi fangirl who literally enjoys spacing out and drifting away to the farthest, darkest corner of the universe (because it has cookies XD).

_**Warnings? **_YAOI, OOC, fluffiness, and tear-shedding, heartrending moments… TwT (I'm such a sap. XD)

_**Who? **_Pshh—Beavis and Butthead. O_O …of course not. XD Sasuke and Naruto, duh! =^w^=

_**Why? **_Because I want to, so there! XD And this plot bunny's been bugging me for a while now… ^^"

**Notes from the KIT-chan~**

NOW we are at the very end… ^^" What will happen now...that Sasuke has lost the one he once held dear? TT_TT

Enjoy. ^~^

.::.*~Kitsune~*.::.

***FYI: **1. The lyrics from the previous chapter came from a song called **"Listen to Your Heart"** by **DHT** (don't own) and 2. If you didn't understand what actually happened to Naruto previously, he died…and he himself turned into Sasuke's wings. (based on my friend's poem with slight changes—also don't own)

~o~

The snow had stopped falling, the moon still high in the sky with its light back to its usual intensity.

But Sasuke Uchiha still stood silently in the shallow waters of the Hudson River, not moving even an inch, his face solemn.

And all but him had already gone.

_Naruto, I…_

The raven winced, reaching over his shoulder to gently stroke his wing.

A breeze of wind blew past the latter, his hair flowing in the cold air.

_Whoosh._

But then it stopped abruptly, and all was still.

That was when the Uchiha let out a cry, clenching his fists in frustration, and glared directly at the moon.

He growled. "Are you happy now that I've finished my 'mission'? Is it time for me to go away now?" The raven clenched his teeth and glared up at the sky. "Is this what you've wanted all along—to take my one and only best friend away from me like that? Huh? Is _this _my frickin' purpose in life—not being able to protect him, to be there for him when I actually can?" He held his breath, closing his eyes. "Damn, I ask you for another chance…and even you can't give that to me." Sasuke buried his face in his hands. "And now…it's all too late." He exhaled sharply. Then he turned back to look at his wings again, his eyes filled with hurt. "I never thought it would happen this way…and I never wanted it like this. I didn't want Naruto to…"

Sasuke growled and slammed his fist into the water, his eyes closed.

_Damn it…_

He let out a sigh, putting his hand to his forehead.

That was when the Uchiha felt someone stir in the distance, and noticed a white light shining behind the tree where he had left Adrian. And he had heard soft murmuring from afar…

The raven frowned and peered ahead to see that there were now two figures behind the tree—both having bronze hair. One of them was definitely Adrian. But the other one…was bigger and what looked like two enormous wings protruding from his back.

It was at that moment that Sasuke had seen the older bronze scoop young Adrian up into his arms and emerge from the shadows with a warm smile on his face.

The raven stiffened. _That's…_

Adrian stirred and slowly opened his tired eyes to look up at the one holding him gingerly. And when his big, green eyes had finally met with the older bronze's, he froze and blinked once, yawning.

"Brother?"

In that instant, the Uchiha's eyes widened, and he turned to look at the other.

But the older bronze only continued to smile, his eyes softening, and he gently stroked little Adrian's hair back.

The young bronze yawned again, and fell back into a deep sleep, his face serene.

At that moment, the raven had a stunned expression on his face, and he opened his mouth to speak. "Anthony…"

Tony smiled and slowly looked up to face the raven. Then he calmly approached Sasuke, his sleeping little brother still in his arms.

And when he had finally reached the shoreline, his eyes softened, and he opened his mouth to speak. "You really were right about God giving me another chance…" He glanced down at young Adrian. "…and I thank you for helping me." Anthony paused, then shifted his eyes to peer over the Uchiha's shoulder. "…_both _of you."

At that moment, Sasuke frowned, his eyes once again filling with pain.

The older bronze frowned and turned to look behind him. "Uncle Viktor and his men have already gone home—all of them. And I made sure of that after I had been ordered to erase their memories. From this point on, they won't remember anything about what just happened tonight, or what they had planned to do at the moment. That's when I saw you dive into the river…"

Anthony winced and faced the raven again. "I'm just deeply sorry that I didn't make it in time. If I had only known…"

The Uchiha closed his eyes and held out his hand. "Don't blame yourself for what happened. It's not your fault that you didn't know."

The bronze's eyes softened, and he frowned.

The raven let out a small sigh, then raised his head up to gaze at the night sky with a sad countenance.

And at that very moment, he had seen a large dot of light moving along the darkness, its side lights blinking occasionally.

This made Sasuke wince, remembering that night and how happy little Naruto had been to make his birthday wish. "Dobe…"

"_We'll always be together, won't we?"_

"_Of course."_

The raven closed his eyes, a breeze of wind blowing past him. "I…"

Right now, he'd wished dearly that all this had never happened…that he'd never hurt Naruto…that he could take it _all _back if it were only _possible_…

That was when he noticed his hands begin to glow, and the Uchiha immediately opened his eyes to see that Anthony's green eyes were bulging with awe.

And then he saw the aura of light around his hands.

Sasuke's eyes widened when he noticed that his whole body was actually glowing with pure light. "What's…happening to me?"

Even Tony was stunned at what he was seeing at that moment.

The raven swallowed and looked at the bronze-haired angel. "Tony...am I being sent back?"

The green-eyed man froze and looked down at his hands, expecting them to glow as well, for his mission was finished. But to his surprise…they were not. That was when he realized in an instant what God was doing at that moment and smiled, his eyes softening. Then he raised his head to look at the Uchiha again and chuckled once.

"No. Not at all."

Suddenly, the light around Sasuke began to shine brighter, beginning to engulf him.

The raven's eyes widened and his mouth gaped. "Then what…is this?"

But the only response he received was another chuckle, and the Uchiha looked up to see Anthony smiling. He stiffened and shrank back, as he was still confused about what was happening.

Finally, Tony spoke in a calm tone. "Remember what I told you about second chances?"

In that instant, Sasuke froze. And at the same time, he began to fade into the light.

The bronze's eyes softened and he smiled. "That second chance…actually starts _now."_

The Uchiha's eyes widened with disbelief. _What? _But before he could respond to Anthony's comment, he had already disappeared into the flash of light.

And soon...Sasuke was surprised to see that he was back in his room, lying down on his bed.

~o~

The raven rubbed his eyes and looked around the room, checking to see if it wasn't all just an illusion. But it was all real—from his navy blue bed sheets to his digital alarm clock.

The Uchiha's eyes bulged. _No way… _What day was it? And what did Anthony mean by what he'd said?

Suddenly, there was a loud knock on his door.

"Sasuke!"" a female voice called.

The raven stiffened. _Mother…_

Another knock. "Hurry up and get dressed already, or you'll be late for the party!"

In that instant, Sasuke stiffened, his eyes widening. Then he quickly turned to look at his alarm clock. At the bottom corner, it read in small font: **October 3, 2010.**

At that moment, his face became rigid and he looked out the window, the sun just beginning to sink in the distance. The very evening of the day when it all happened…the day of Kiba Inuzuka's big blowout party…

Was this…what God meant by a 'second chance'?

Not even the raven could be sure himself. Of course he knew that this just looked too good to be true, despite what Anthony had told him about second chances.

But all he could do now for the time being…was to go along with what was going on at that moment, illusion or not. And if God _was _giving him his second chance…he'd just have to take advantage of it—and finally make things right.

His heart softened as he began to think of Naruto again…

The Uchiha let out a sigh. _All right—from what's left of my memory, I'm pretty sure that the dog's party starts at around 4:30…_

He paused, then turned to look back at his alarm clock. _And right now, it's…_

6:45.

_Shit._

In that instant, Sasuke was immediately out of bed and fumbling through his closet, as he was actually, for the first time, running late—_very _late. And as he began throwing on his clothes, he couldn't help but chuckle to himself. Usually, Naruto would be the one going through this every day, since he was _always _late for school and everything else. And he even remembered how one morning he'd actually come to class wearing nothing but a tank top and boxers, which made him smirk at that moment.

However….from what he remembered before, the moron was actually on time that same evening, which was extremely rare of him out of all days.

Although he wasn't exactly _himself_ that time, so…

Whatever. The blonde was obviously there already, which meant that the Uchiha actually had to _rush. _He looked in the mirror, deeming what he had just tossed on acceptable at the very least and ran out of his bedroom, down the stairs, up until he had reached the kitchen.

There, his older brother and father were sitting down, handling paperwork scattered all over the table between them, while his mother slaved over the stove, cooking dinner.

The raven briefly stopped to briskly inform his parents of his leaving, and merely nodded once to Itachi, who nodded back expressionlessly. Of course he was busy as usual helping Fugaku work out issues in the company he worked in, since he was about to be an intern there the following year.

"Try not to be out too late," Mikoto called over her shoulder, holding a ladle in her hand.

"Hn," Sasuke muttered back apathetically as he continued to advance towards the front door.

But something instantly made him stop right when the Uchiha had put his hand on the doorknob.

At that moment, he thought he had heard his father mention the word 'mustache.'

Behind him in the kitchen, Sasuke heard a wave of laughter come from Fugaku.

"_Kicked him right out the door—wasn't even worth my time….told him to get a job at the pizza parlor instead…"_

And then he had heard a name—Viktor Ambrose. In that instant, the Uchiha's face became rigid, as memories of that fateful night flashed through his mind. The man who killed his brother…Naruto's parents…and Naruto himself. How much it _hurt _to see those involved suffer before his eyes…and the whole reason why, although it was not all his fault.

That was when the raven remembered the very first and almost most important thing he knew he had to fix—as he himself had experienced the major consequences not long ago. He had to settle things here and now.

Sasuke paused for a moment and stood there silently, hand still on the doorknob, as he heard yet another wave of laughter, this time from both his father and mother.

Then the Uchiha closed his eyes and loosely let go of the doorknob, turning around to calmly approach the kitchen again.

At that moment, the laughter stopped.

Fugaku raised an eyebrow. "I thought you were going out to that party. Aren't you already late?"

The raven was silent for a minute, a stoic expression on his face. "I am." He paused, then lowered his head. "But…I couldn't help but overhear the conversation you were just having."

The room was filled with dead silence.

"And?" the brown-haired Uchiha spoke, leaning back on his chair with his arms crossed. "What is it that occurred to you, Sasuke?"

Another pause. "Nothing, Father. …it's just that it made me think for a second."

Fugaku scratched his chin and pondered. "Hmm…and what exactly was that, son?"

The raven was silent again. "…nothing, actually. But there's something else that I thought that should also be considered." Pause. ".It's that you don't judge a book by its cover, no matter how ugly it is. You don't know whether the outcome will be good or bad, or if its pages are actually good."

Everyone's eyes widened at the comment.

"Sasuke…" Itachi murmured.

Fugaku's face became rigid with surprise.

The Uchiha frowned and turned towards the front door again. "So right now…you don't exactly know how well the outcome might have actually been if you had actually taken the time to consider Mr. Ambrose's offer instead, and how it would have benefited Namikaze Industries." He paused, then reached for the doorknob and walked out, closing the door behind him.

And this left the rest of the Uchiha family stunned in the kitchen, their faces struck with awe.

Then Mikoto closed her eyes and smiled. "He takes right after you, Fugaku. Surely he's bound to be an excellent businessman in the future."

Fugaku swallowed and thought for a moment, closing his eyes as well.

"Hm."

~o~

Sasuke walked out onto the porch with a stoic countenance, thinking about the words he'd just said. Then he closed his eyes and shrugged, walking down the steps onto the sidewalk. Hopefully this would give him at least some peace of mind…

But that wasn't until he'd dared to glance at his next-door neighbor's house, and stopped right in his tracks when he'd noticed a boy with bushy, sunshine-blonde hair and whiskered cheeks sitting out on the front steps of his porch. He had caramel-tan skin, and his eyes were bluer than the Pacific Ocean.

In that instant, the raven held his breath. He couldn't believe it.

~o~

The Uchiha swallowed. _So this time he'd decided to be the late one here, too… _He paused, then calmly began to approach the blonde. And as he got closer, he saw that the latter's eyes were blank, deep in thought, but they were dull at the same time. In addition, his knees were curled up and his arms were wrapped around them, his chin lowered, eyes gazing out at the sunset.

So he was telling the truth before. Damn thing had been bugging him even now…and still Sasuke hadn't noticed back then. He winced as he remembered the nervous breakdown he'd had in the cemetery…and what had been his final words…

"_I'm so sorry, Sasuke…"_

The raven closed his eyes, then walked up to his best friend with a solemn expression on his face and sat down next to him on the steps.

After that, it had been silent between the two.

Until the Uchiha had decided to make the first move. "Yo."

No response.

Sasuke paused. "We're going to miss the party if we just sit around here."

But the latter only winced and shifted his gaze down at the ground, his eyes growing even duller. "Yeah."

At that moment, the raven shrank back a little and thought to himself. _Get it together here already… _He exhaled sharply, then turned to look at the sinking sun at the distance.

More silence between the two.

That was when Sasuke spoke again in a softer tone. "Dobe…"

The blonde didn't move a muscle. "Mm."

The Uchiha frowned and turned to look at his best friend, his eyes softening. Then he gently placed his hand over the latter's.

"Tell me…is something bothering you?"

In that instant, Naruto bit his lip, closing his eyes. "It's nothing."

Sasuke sighed and put his arm around the latter's shoulders. "Naruto."

But the blonde only shook his head. "Don't worry about it."

The raven still didn't buy it. "Just tell me already."

The blue-eyed teenager frowned, then calmly pulled away from the Uchiha. "I told you, it's nothing."

Silence.

Naruto paused and reluctantly glanced up at Sasuke, who was staring back at him with a doubtful, unwavering gaze. _That _look…

Then, the raven spoke again in a soft tone. "It's okay. I won't judge whatever it is that's bothering you." His eyes softened, and he gently took the blonde's hand again. "I promise. So tell me…"

The latter was quiet. He closed his eyes and hung his head. Then he spoke in a hushed whisper. "You won't like it."

But the Uchiha's face was still intent, for this time he was prepared. He knew that he had to fix this right now…that he needed to start acting more like a friend…and _understand…_

"Try me."

There was a long pause.

Sasuke winced. "Naruto."

The blonde sighed and shifted his feet down a step, then rested his hands on top of his knees, twiddling his fingers. He pursed his lips as he began to search for words, then spoke in a soft, reluctant tone.

"So I told you that another business was joining my father's company, and that he would stay to take care of it all."

The raven listened patiently.

The latter went on. "But it turns out…that my father ended up finding a better job with more income somewhere else—which means…that he has to go away again." He winced, his breath wavering. "I…have to go with them—my parents…and move all the way to California." His voice faltered. "And we're leaving tomorrow morning. Plus, it doesn't look like we're coming back here at all…"

No response. Although the Uchiha's eyes did soften at the sight of his best friend being sad…

The blonde slowly shook his head. "Sasuke… Damn it, I'm really sorry that I didn't stop once to tell you all this time. I didn't want to hurt you like this…" He paused, holding his breath.

However, there was only dead silence.

Naruto hesitated, then slowly turned around to face Sasuke, hoping that he hadn't broken his heart too much…

But to his surprise, the raven's face was blank and expressionless, showing no signs of pain or even anger.

Then the Uchiha finally spoke. "Hn," he uttered in an indifferent tone, raising an eyebrow. He crossed his arms and smirked. "Is that really all there is?"

At that moment, the blonde shrank back, his eyes widening in astonishment. "Why? You're not mad at me for telling you at the last minute? Aren't you hurt that I'm going away, leaving you behind?"

The latter stopped when a pale finger pressed his lips.

Naruto stiffened, still surprised at what was going on.

The raven paused, then closed his eyes and looked at the ground. "Of course I'm upset that you're leaving me on such short notice, and yes—I hate it all."

The blonde's eyes softened, his countenance solemn.

But then the Uchiha opened his mouth to speak again, in a hushed tone. "But that doesn't keep me…from being your best friend."

Naruto's eyes widened.

Sasuke opened his eyes and looked at the blonde. "You don't have to be sorry for anything, dobe, because none of it is even your fault in the first place. And of course…" His eyes softened. "I understand how you're feeling right now in this situation, and I'm here to help you deal with it."

The latter froze.

At that moment, the raven managed to crack a slight but comforting smile. "That's what best friends are for—aren't they, Naruto?" He put his arm around the blonde's shoulders. "So cheer up already. After all, we've still got today." He glanced at the latter.

And the blonde sat there quietly, looking down at his hands. But then he smiled and chuckled lightly. "That's the first time…I've seen you talk like this." Naruto looked at the Uchiha, his cerulean eyes twinkling. "But yeah—you're right. That is what best friends are for…and I'm actually glad to have had you as a friend."

Sasuke's eyes softened.

The blue-eyed teenager grinned again, then lowered his eyes to glance down at his wristwatch.

7:05.

Naruto paused and looked back at the raven. He chuckled nervously and scratched his head. "Maybe if we take the bus, we can at least make it in time for karaoke. What do you say, S'uke?"

The Uchiha smirked and thought for a moment. But then he frowned. "Hn. Think I'll pass on this one."

The blonde shrank back in disbelief. "Huh? Why?"

Sasuke chuckled and raised his head to gaze up at the sky, now dark as night and decorated with shining stars. Then he spoke again.

"I've got a better idea."

~o~

The crickets were chirping in the promenade that night, and the moon was high in the sky.

Sasuke and Naruto both lay in the tall grass under the night sky, gazing up at the stars within it. And at the same time, tiny fireflies flew about around the two.

The blonde chuckled. "It's been a long time since we've been here together."

The raven smirked. "I know."

Suddenly, the latter flinched when a small, floating ball of light drifted onto his nose.

The Uchiha couldn't help but chuckle. "And that firefly still likes you."

Naruto laughed.

Then he stopped and frowned.

Sasuke noticed this and shifted his gaze over to his best friend, his face solemn.

"…hey, teme?"

"Hn."

There was a pause. Then the blonde winced and spoke in a soft tone. "…you won't forget me, will you?"

This made the raven stiffen. But then he replied in a hushed whisper, taking the latter's hand. "Of course not." He raised an eyebrow. "No matter how hard I tried, I would never be able to forget a dobe like you."

In that instant, the latter broke out into a wave of laughter and lightly punched the Uchiha on the shoulder. "Hey! What's that supposed to mean?"

Sasuke smirked.

Naruto sighed and looked back at the stars, contemplating in his thoughts. Then he smiled. "Heh. I can still remember the first time we met. Now that was a day to remember."

At that moment, the raven's eyes softened.

The blonde's eyes sparkled as he spoke, like two pools of pure sapphire. "I never told you this before, but…I was really happy that I met you that day, because that was actually the first time I didn't feel so lonely anymore." He turned to face the Uchiha and grinned. "And I still am—no regrets."

Sasuke looked back with a calm expression on his face. "Hn." Then he looked up at the shining stars.

Naruto paused for a moment, then looked up in the same direction as well.

And both had reluctant countenances as they started running out of words to say. After all, it would only be hours until one would have to leave the other.

But that wasn't until they realized their lips suddenly molding desperately against each other, not remembering anymore who started what. It was all almost a blur.

The raven holding the blonde gingerly in his arms, caressing him as they kissed…the small moans and mewls Naruto let out as this was all happening—Sasuke's cool breath against his lips…and pretty soon, the two slowly beginning to unbutton each other's shirts, their bare chests touching, almost like fire and ice mixing together.

And when they finally pulled back to look into each other's eyes, panting exhaustedly, both were stunned and confused at the same time.

Then Sasuke noticed the blonde on top of him resting his head against his pale chest. His eyes softened as he noticed tears began to run down the latter's face.

Naruto sniffled. "Damn it…I'm really gonna miss you, Sasuke."

The raven stiffened, the comment definitely hitting a cord in his heart. But then he frowned and gently placed his hand under his best friend's chin, raising his head. He spoke in a soft tone. "Same here. But that doesn't mean I'm not ever gonna see you again."

The blonde sniffled again and wiped his whiskered cheeks.

The Uchiha winced and sat up, cradling the latter in his arms. Then he lowered his head and whispered in Naruto's ear. "I'll always be with you…" He raised his hand to tenderly place his hand over the blonde's chest. "…in here," he breathed.

The blue-eyed teenager trembled and wrapped his arms around his best friend. Then he let out a sob and spoke in a hushed whisper. "And I in yours. I love you, Sasuke…" The blonde spoke softly, burying his face in the latter's chest.

Sasuke winced and held Naruto close. Then he held his breath and whispered in the latter's ear. "I love you, too, Naruto…and I always will—no matter what."

In that instant, the blonde sniffled and held the raven in a tight embrace, the Uchiha doing likewise, as if they would never let go…never be apart…

As if they were one.

~o~

It was 4:00 a.m. in the morning, and Sasuke Uchiha stood in front of the Hudson River, watching as the sun slowly began to rise again on the other side across the promenade.

The raven closed his eyes and smiled as the blonde's last words to him began to ring through his ears.

~o~

"_Hey, Sasuke…remember when we used to watch airplanes take off in the sky, and I used to think they were shooting stars?"_

"_Haha. It's funny that I'm gonna be riding inside one of them tomorrow. You'll wave to me, right?"_

"…_because I promise I'll wave to you when I pass through here."_

"_Goodbye for now…teme—and thank you…"_

~o~

The Uchiha opened his eyes and sighed as he looked up at the morning sky. Of course it sounded stupid to wave when obviously they couldn't see each other from their perspectives—they would be too far to even see each other after all.

But Sasuke still couldn't help coming back to the promenade and looking as the sun began to rise. At the same time, his best friend was still in his thoughts and because of that, he really didn't feel so alone. After all…he forever held him dear in his heart, never to disappear. Maybe this…was what God had wanted for him. His second chance…and he had finally made things right.

The raven let out a sigh. _Thank you…_

Suddenly, he noticed a tiny speck floating along the purple clouds of dawn. And it had two wings, lights still slightly visible from its sides, blinking occasionally.

At that moment, the Uchiha closed his eyes, about to say goodbye in the softest of tones. He was now prepared to let go, satisfied with what he'd been given…

But that was when he began to hear slight footsteps in the tall grass behind him, and just _wondered…_

And then he found himself tackled to the ground, hearing roars of light laughter.

"Wow…that's a really nice airplane…isn't it?"

In that instant, Sasuke froze when he saw a flash of yellow, almost mistaken for a ball of sunshine, and noticed a certain blonde next to him, smiling a happy-go-lucky grin.

And one would think the raven would be thrilled by this, but at that moment…his face was serious. After everything he'd gone through already, Sasuke was still wary of what was going on.

However, all he could say at that moment was…

"How…and why?"

What the hell was going on?

But Naruto only responded with more laughter. "Why? You're not happy to see me right now?"

In that instant, Sasuke narrowed his eyes suspiciously. "Hn. Of course I am. It's just that…you didn't run away from home or something, did you?"

The blonde chuckled. "_Teme!_ Of course I didn't!"

The raven raised an eyebrow. "All right, then, _dobe_…how?"

At that moment, Naruto stopped laughing and smiled. "Well…for one thing…my father decided to stay here with his company."

The Uchiha's eyes widened.

The blonde went on, scratching the back of his head. "It's weird, but…can you believe that a _third _business is actually merging with Namikaze Industries? Dad's gonna like own this monster company now…"

Sasuke's face immediately became rigid, remembering the past evening. _No way…_

Suddenly, the latter snickered. "But damn, you've got to see the guy—he's got this big mustache and everything. Some guy named Viktor Ambrose…"

The raven froze, then looked up at the sky. _You…_

And when he turned back to face the blonde, he was still laughing, smiling his happy-go-lucky grin.

But in an instant, Sasuke suddenly found himself wrapping his arms around Naruto in a warm embrace.

And the latter immediately stopped laughing, his eyes softening upon his best friend. Then he slowly raised his arms to hug the latter back and spoke in a soft voice. "You already missed me…didn't you?"

At that moment, the raven was silent, not knowing how to answer the question.

Naruto chuckled softly, then gently took the Uchiha's face in his hands, pulling it an inch away from his own, and looked straight into his dark, obsidian eyes.

"It's okay," the latter spoke in a hushed whisper with a smile. "I'm not leaving anymore. I'm staying here…where I can say I can spend forever with you."

In that instant, Sasuke's eyes widened, and he held the blonde closer, caressing his cheeks. Then he managed to utter one word in a soft tone.

"Forever…"

At that moment, the two looked into each other's eyes intently with small, comforting grins. And they were just about to close the space between them when suddenly…a small, multicolored rubber ball rolled down next to Naruto's foot.

The blonde stiffened and pulled back from the Uchiha to look at the rubber ball with a confused expression on his face.

But that was when the two found a little bronze-haired boy about the age of five, stumbling across the tall grass towards the colorful toy. He fell the minute he'd tried to grab the rubber ball.

In that instant, Sasuke's eyes widened in surprise as the young bronze looked up at him with big, green puppy-dog eyes. _It can't be…_

"Adrian!" a male voice called in the distance.

Soon, the blonde and raven could see yet another bronze running through the tall grass, towards the younger one. But this one was taller and older, although he looked almost exactly like his younger brother.

Anthony King panted and knelt down behind his sibling. Then he looked up at Naruto and Sasuke and chuckled nervously, scratching the back of his head.

"I'm terribly sorry about all this. If you could only excuse my little brother here for bumping into you…"

But suddenly, the blonde raised his hand up. "That's okay."

At that moment, the Uchiha's face became rigid as he glanced at both Naruto and Anthony.

The older bronze laughed lightly, then stopped for a moment, shifting his gaze from both the raven to the blonde.

"Hey, wait…aren't you…"

"Hmm?" the blue-eyed teenager uttered, tilting his head in confusion.

Anthony blinked, then extended his hand out in front of him. "I'm sorry, I forgot to introduce myself. I'm Anthony…" He glanced down at the younger bronze, who at that moment was staring at the raven and blonde with a curious but shy expression on his face. The older bronze smiled. "…and this is my younger brother, Adrian. You see, we just moved in not far from here…"

"Oh!" Naruto cried, slapping his forehead. "That's right! Isn't your dad the guy who owns King Co.? You're our new neighbors, aren't you?"

The older bronze nodded. "Yeah."

At that moment, the blonde shook Anthony's hand. "I'm Naruto—my dad owns Namikaze Industries…" He glanced at his best friend, eyes bulging with awe. "…this is my friend, Sasuke—his father also works with mine."

"Hn," the raven nodded once at Tony.

Anthony smiled. "A pleasure to meet you both," he spoke in a calm tone, taking a short time to briefly wink at the Uchiha inconspicuously.

Naruto chuckled. "Sorry I didn't recognize you right away." He scratched the back of his head and got up. "Here—let me go get my dad to help you unpack…"

The blonde was about to turn and run back to his house when suddenly, he felt someone grab his leg and immediately looked down to see a little bronze clutching his leg.

At that moment, the latter chuckled nervously. "Er…"

"Naru!" young Adrian cried out, his arms wrapped around Naruto's leg.

In that instant, everyone broke out into laughter.

Anthony chuckled. "I think he already likes you, Naruto."

Even Sasuke couldn't help but smirk.

The blonde smiled and knelt down next to the little bronze, giving him a warm embrace. "Nice to meet you, too, little guy."

Adrian giggled and buried his face into the latter's chest.

And the raven's eyes softened at the sight. Then he turned to look at the older bronze who was smiling at him kindly.

At the same time, the Uchiha thought he'd heard his voice speak just now in his mind, and closed his eyes.

_Do you see it? Everyone deserves a second chance._

Sasuke chuckled and opened his eyes. _I know now. _Then he turned to look at his best friend and the small bronze laugh and talk to each other with bright countenances. This made the raven's heart soften as the atmosphere filled with happiness and joy.

The ultimate reason he had for living…the loved one that he held dear, that he would take care of all his life…this was all why—he would never forget it.

And that was when…Naruto paused to face his soul mate with his well-known, happy-go-lucky grin.

The Uchiha managed to smile back, his eyes soft. Then he looked up at the sky, the sun now shining high.

~o~

_We were drawn from the weeds  
We were brave like soldiers  
Falling down under the pale moonlight  
You were holding me  
Like someone broken  
And I couldn't tell you but I'm telling you now_

Just let me hold you while you're falling apart  
Just let me hold you and we'll both fall down

Fall on me  
Tell me everything you want me to be  
Forever with you forever in me  
Ever the same

We would stand in the wind  
We were free like water  
Flowing down  
Under the warmth of the sun  
Now it's cold and we're scared  
And we've both been shaken  
Hey, look at us  
Man, this doesn't need to be the end

Just let me hold you while you're falling apart  
Just let me hold you and we'll both fall down

Fall on me tell me everything you want me to be  
Forever with you  
Forever in me  
Ever the same  
Call on me  
I'll be there for you and you'll be there for me  
Forever it's you  
Forever in me  
Ever the same

You may need me there  
To carry all your weight  
But you're no burden I assure  
You tide me over  
With a warmth I'll not forget  
But I can only give you love

Fall on me tell me everything you want me to be  
Forever with you  
Forever in me  
Ever the same  
Call on me  
I'll be there for you and you'll be there for me  
Forever it's you  
Forever in me  
Ever the same

Forever with you  
Forever in me  
Ever the same…

_Oh, ever the same._

_***~Wakas~***_

~o~

**Notes from the KIT-chan~**

Again for those of you who don't know—_wakas _means _end _or _finish _in Tagalog/Filipino. ^w^ Like _owari _for some of you. XD Also—the lyrics come from a song called **"Ever the Same" **by **Rob Thomas. **^_^ (don't own, by the way XD)

And to be frank, I'm actually proud of this ending… ^_^ …but I wish that God could be as generous. And I'm not saying he isn't—he is, really. The thing here is that everyone deserves a second chance, no matter what they say or do. God understands that, and… :sigh: the whole reason why I continued this story is because…well…I lost someone myself not long ago this summer and I felt that I needed to let it all out. ^_^" For one, I was actually depressed and well..I couldn't help but feel a bit upset with God. And I know that I won't get a second chance as great as Sasuke's, but…I know there's a reason it happened and that he'll help me out one day. ^^"

Sorry for those of you who aren't like Christian/Catholic or anything…but it's the same for you, because the same can be said for fate itself. Everything happens for a reason, and everyone deserves a second chance. I learned that the hard way… TT_TT

Ja ne and I hope you'll enjoy reading my other stories…please REVIEW if you would… ^~^" And thank you very much for reading this—I truly appreciate it. ^_^

.::.*~Kitsune~*.::.


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